Recently in Mike Huckabee Category

On Feb. 29, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee appeared on The Tyra Banks Show to discuss his run for the White House. During the interview, Banks laudably asked Huckabee several questions on his views about equality for LGBT people. Banks asked Huckabee, "What if [gay voters] say, I want to vote for you Governor Huckabee, but I'm a gay man and I want to marry my man. What do you say to that?"
 
Banks went on to press Huckabee about whether or not he was comfortable with marriage for gay and lesbian couples, and instead answered that he was opposed to marriage equality. Banks then explained, "I'm asking you so many questions about this because I love the gays and the gays love me. And I know I cannot walk down the street here in New York City if I didn't press that issue and truly ask you that."
 
Huckabee is not the first candidate to appear on Banks’ show. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John Edwards have all appeared on the show during the campaign season.
 
There is no question that pop culture has a huge influence on politics, now more than ever before. During this election cycle, candidates have taken bigger steps to reach out to potential voters by appearing on daytime or late night talk shows, or by writing articles and giving interviews to celebrity magazines.  In these venues, the candidates often tailor their stances in a way that is more relatable and authentic for the audience, and LGBT issues are no exception. Instead of discussing specific policy goals, they talk about their broad approach to the issues that resonate most strongly with the audiences that they are speaking to.
 
As election coverage continues, we will be encouraging viewers to look at the different ways political candidates answer questions about LGBT issues, whether they’re doing an interview on a 24-hour news channel or in a celebrity magazine.

Though Huckabee is no longer in the race, his appearance on The Tyra Banks Show gave voters another opportunity to gain insight into his stance on LGBT issues – and ongoing election coverage in all types of media outlets will hopefully continue to do the same.

Cindi Creager is the Director of National News
 

Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that Gary Bauer, an anti-gay activist and former head of the Family Research Council, threw his support behind Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bauer’s decision runs counter to the endorsements of other anti-gay leaders.  James Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, one of the largest and most prominent anti-gay organizations in the country, announced on Super Tuesday that he would never vote for McCain and instead endorsed Mike Huckabee. 

Unlike Huckabee, McCain has never voiced support for the Federal Marriage Amendment.  The proposed amendment, backed by President Bush in 2004, would go beyond the Defense of Marriage Act to create a constitutional ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. 

Earlier in this election season, anti-gay leader Pat Robertson made headlines for supporting Rudy Giuliani's now-defunct presidential bid. Back in 2004, George W. Bush received overwhelming support from leaders of anti-gay groups.  

This time around, the conversation about our issues is playing out differently in the media, with the divisions among opponents to gay and lesbian equality becoming increasingly apparent as the election season goes on.

Cindi Creager is the Director of National News