Last week's Democratic presidential forum on gay issues may have not been the first, but it was historic. And most importantly it got people talking.
Yes, we cringed when Bill Richardson said that he believes being gay is a choice, yet we're not sure why singer Melissa Etheridge asked him in particular such a loaded question in the first place. So, while Richardson may have been unprepared, he at least realized that he made a major error and clarified his remarks within minutes of the forum's conclusion. On Friday, he went on Michelangelo Signorile's Sirius radio program and explained that he didn't understand the question. "I screwed up," he said, according to a transcript. "What I believe is that this is an issue that you're born with, it's not a choice, it's not a lifestyle."
Richardson also spoke about what is "achievable," which didn't seem to please many in the studio audience, but it was a dose of reality. He also said his vote for the Defense of Marriage Act was a mistake.
In fact, Etheridge's fawning over several of the candidates was difficult to watch, especially when the time she wasted spewing platitudes could have been better spent on actual questions. She at least acknowledged that she's a "privileged rock star." Mostly, she was miscast and a distraction, although she closed the gap late in the forum when she surprised Hillary Clinton with a question about gay rights, and mentioned that Clinton's husband Bill, had "thrown us under the bus" and "broken promises" by signing the DOMA and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Frankly, there were too many questions about marriage. Yes, we heard Barack Obama, John Edwards, Clinton, and Richardson expound on their reasons opposing same-sex marriage, but it wasn't anything that we haven't heard countless times before. The problem with keeping such a laser-like focus on the marriage issue meant that lots of other topics were discussed briefly, if at all.
For instance, there was little said about how immigration laws affect same-sex couples, and we didn't hear anything about the immigration bill in Congress that would help same-sex binational couples. The Democratic candidates haven't been asked much about immigration policy at previous debates, so this would have been a great chance to get their positions on the issue. There were no questions about global gay issues, or how gays in some countries face persecution or death if discovered.
There were no questions concerning bisexuals, proving once again that the Human Rights Campaign, one of the hosts of the forum through its foundation, had neglected to represent the B in LGBT. Too bad.
There was one question dealing specifically with transgender workplace issues, and Edwards answered it ably. And this time, Edwards specifically mentioned his visit to the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center (he pointedly did not mention the center at the Howard University debate when he talked about AIDS and a "medical center in Los Angeles" that he visited in late June).
Obama used his time giving long-winded answers about semantics and same-sex marriage, and didn't get a chance to talk about the specifics of his LGBT record, which he mentioned but without details.
Last but not least, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, the two long-shot candidates and the only ones who support marriage equality, had a virtual love fest with the audience. But while they do understand and support our issues on so many levels, the reality is that neither have the national support to become the party's nominee.
It was important to have the candidates speak to an LGBT audience, and we do appreciate their participation. It's just too bad the country couldn't hear something about the many other complex issues affecting our lives.