How Democrats Address Gay Marriage

As expected the Democratic National Convention passed their LGBT inclusive platform. The platform endorsed marriage equality with a roster of speakers that includes 4 gay Congress members & a record number of 486 gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender delegates from all 50 states. However as much as it’s moving to hear their support for our community it’s interesting how they chose to present it to America. The official phase is: “no matter who you choose to love.” When attending the 2004 DNC Convention here in Boston I attended all the LGBT events & found that the “g-word” (gay) was never used. Now it’s 8 years later & this is still the case. The only person who actually addressed the DNC & used the word gay was Colorado Congressman Jared Polis who stated, “My name is Jared Polis. My great-grandparents were immigrants. I am Jewish. I am gay. I am a father. I am a son. I am an entrepreneur. I am a congressman from Colorado. I am always an optimist. But first & foremost, I am an American….” Thursday Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin will be speaking at the DNC Convention. Baldwin is currently running in a tight race for the Senate in Wisconsin. Let’s see how she addresses the convention. As long as she doesn’t use the Karl Rove term ‘same-sex marriage’ we’ll be happy but our inclusion goes much further than marriage equality. Let’s hope someone addresses the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, (ENDA), especially when the economy is such a crucial issue. Updates To Come…:)