Speaking at the HRC National Dinner, LGBT for Obama creator Terry Bean explains what’s at stake this election cycle and why every LGBT person should get involved in helping to elect Barack Obama as our next president.
By Michael Crawford
Our friends at Towleroad talked with LGBT for Obama founder Terry Bean about why he created the site and how important LGBT voters will be in the November election. Terry is one of the co-founders of the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and has a lot to say about how important it is that LGBT Americans engage in the campaign to elect Sen. Obama as our next president.
Check out some of the features of the site including the “spread the word” feature that let’s you share with friends and family information about the stark differences between Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain on LGBT issues.
Also very important, is the “donate to Obama now” button. This button connects you directly to the Obama campaign site, but the key thing for our community is that your contribution will be tagged as coming from the LGBT community. Every cent of your contribution goes directly to the Obama campaign. As Terry says in the interview below it is critical that money coming LGBT voters is counted as coming from our community so that the Obama campaign can see clearly the strong level of support that it has from LGBT people.
By Terry Bean
A few years ago on the heels of Patrick Guerriero’s excellent leadership, I directed a substantial gift to Log Cabin’s 501 (c)(3) Liberty Education Forum because I saw in the organization the promise of making real progress within the Republican Party on our issues. After a long discussion with Patrick Sammon, Guerriero’s successor at Log Cabin, I came away feeling confident that he also had the savvy to channel the power of GLBT Republicans to move the party in a more reasoned and principled direction.
Although I am an absolute, life-long, “dyed-in-the-wool” Democrat, I know that we need some Republican support to win our equality. It took Republican support to finally win passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and it will take that same united effort to win our rights. Realizing this important history makes supporting any organization that can move the GOP worthwhile. I had hoped that Log Cabin could be that force, but with the organization on the verge of endorsing John McCain’s candidacy for President, I fear that the fruition of that hope will be long deferred.
John McCain has one of the worst voting records on LGBT issues in the Senate. In fact, he has voted against our equality at every opportunity except one. Here is his record:
• Against ENDA
• Against ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
• Against the Matthew Shepard Act Hate Crimes Act
• Against partnership recognition of any kind
• Against partner immigration rights
• Against any repeal of DOMA
• For anti-gay state constitutional amendments such as those in California, Florida and Arizona
• Will appoint anti-LGBT judges like Justice Scalia and Alito