LGBT Candidates: May 2008 Archives

Since the presidential race kicked off nearly 16 months ago, Democratic voters have faced a choice between two candidates who would make history if nominated by their party.  No major party in the has nominated either an African-American or a woman as their standard-bearer, though a few have tried unsuccessfully in the past.

Both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton have spoken eloquently about the historic nature of the contest, and pundits continue to ask: have we broken the glass ceiling when it comes to race and/or gender?

An op-ed by David Wenner and Sue Gleiter in the Patriot-Ledger, the paper for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, raises an equally interesting question: would voters feel comfortable voting for an openly gay candidate for president?

There are only two openly gay members of the United States House of Representatives and not a single openly gay senator.  The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, an organization that supports openly gay candidates, says that there are now 412 openly gay elected officials from across the country, which is a dramatic increase from the 49 the LGBT community had in 1991.

The op-ed by Wenner and Gleiter cites a 2007 study from the Pew Research Center that asked respondents if they would vote for an openly gay candidate for president.  46 percent of the sample said that they’d be less likely to vote for a candidate who identified as gay.  51 percent said that it would make no difference in who they cast their vote and 1 percent said it would make them more likely to vote for someone.

Voters in Oregon last week elected an openly gay man as mayor of the state’s largest city and also voted to send an openly bisexual candidate to be the Democratic nominee for secretary of state.

How long will it take to test the voters’ actual feelings when it comes to their comfort level an openly gay presidential candidate?  It’s hard to tell, but given the historic nature of the 2008 presidential race, hopefully it’s an indication of good things to come.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy.

On May 20, Commissioner Sam Adams won the mayoral election in Portland with 58% of the vote, beating 12 other candidates. During his campaign, Adams’ platform centered on improving the economy, reducing the dropout rate in public schools and preparing for population increases in the Portland area.

While blogs and news outlets have acknowledged that Adams is openly gay, and have even discussed his break-up with eleven-year partner Greg Eddie, most stories surrounding the mayoral race focused on key policy issues and debates, and not on the candidates’ orientations. The media fairly reflected the expectations of Adams, who ran "not to be a gay mayor, but a great mayor."

Earlier this month The Oregonian, which has a history of fairly representing Sam Adams, officially endorsed the candidate. In April, when Adams engaged in debates with opponent Sho Dozono, the paper discussed the two candidates' ideas for making the city bike-friendly, and contrasted the candidates’ financial histories. On May 13, the paper published an opinions piece that presented Adams as “Sam, the Garden Man.” The author discussed Adams’ nurturing commitment to both his garden and to Portland, highlighting another aspect of his identity as both as a private citizen and as a potential mayor.

In the coming months, we hope to see media outlets continue to recognize the accomplishments, policy standpoints and personal lives of openly gay candidates.  As more and more openly gay leaders are elected on the local, state and federal level, there will be increased opportunities to talk about the milestones made by openly gay politicians, but also the leadership they bring and the contributions they make to their communities.

Paul Karr is Director of Media Field Strategy

In an April 29^th debate, North Carolina’s two main contenders for the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, State Sen. Kay Hagan and openly gay candidate Jim Neal, faced off in a heated exchange. Neal attacked Sen. Hagan for accepting contributions from political action committees. Sen. Hagan responded that she challenges “anyone to question my integrity.” Sen. Hagan is trying to portray herself as the most experienced candidate with the best chance of beating incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole in the general election.  Meanwhile, Neal has branded himself as the anti-establishment candidate, who is not beholden to special interests.

The candidates were asked about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and hate crime legislation. Sen. Hagan, who has been accused of equivocating when questioned about LGBT issues, said we should repeal DADT and that she supports hate crime legislation. Neal has been vocal on both issues throughout the campaign, repeatedly stating his strong support for LGBT equality. Unfortunately, Sen. Hagan’s remarks were mainly left out of the mainstream media’s coverage of the debate. The News & Observer’s article made no mention of her statements. Similarly, the Associated Press story excluded their exchange on gay issues.

Now that Sen. Hagan is finally speaking about important legislation impacting the LGBT community, it is requisite that the media inform the public on exactly where she stands on these issues, so that North Carolinians can make a fully informed decision when casting their vote.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy