As an out lesbian representing San Francisco as a delegate to the 2012 Democratic convention, I must say we've come a long way in 40 years. In 1972, San Franciscan Jim Foster broke lavender glass as the first openly gay person to address a convention floor and asked for a gay rights plank in the party platform. Foster, along with Madeline Davis of Florida, comprised the entire out LGBT delegation that year.
A fan of politics all my life, I caught a glimpse of Democratic leadership with President Jimmy Carter before being bombarded with Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. When I came out in the early 1990s, President Clinton made history as the first candidate to conduct major outreach to the LGBT community. That year, the party platform included adoption of a gay civil rights bill, more AIDS funding, and an end to the ban on gays in the military. A record 110 openly lesbian and gay delegates attended the 1992 convention.
While the Los Angeles Times called the 1992 convention a "watershed" for the gay community, the waters of justice didn't flow in the form of gay civil rights legislation or in the right to serve openly in the military. We did, however, see a dramatic increase in AIDS funding.
Over my adult life, I've attended many state Democratic conventions. In 2008, I was an early supporter of Barack Obama and represented San Francisco as a delegate to the national convention in Denver. I remember the years where we hung on every word to hear if "gay" was spoken. I read position papers to see if the word "gay" was used. I've justified the positions of straight allies who weren't ready to support our right to marry, our right to serve, and sometimes our right to be equal. This past week, however, I finally experienced what it means to be actually included. Included in the platform, in the speeches both gay and straight, and in the party. That was my experience in 2012 �" in fact, I'm calling it the gayest convention I've ever attended.
On the eve of this year's convention, I went to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund's welcoming event for LGBT delegates. An RSVP was required to attend this free event, and people on the waitlist were being turned away. The room was packed with 200-plus D.C. staffers, grassroots activists fighting anti-marriage initiatives, and more. When the program began, all of us were amazed to hear from LaWana Mayfield, the African American lesbian councilwoman from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Since 1992, we've quintupled the number of openly LGBT delegates as we hit 534, more than 10 percent of the entire delegation. At the first session of the LGBT caucus, we honored Babs Saperstein, the first transgender member of the DNC. When the LGBT veterans were asked to approach the stage, more than half the room moved toward the front. Even second lady Jill Biden came by the caucus to rally the troops.
A forum on the state of the LGBT movement boasted speakers like NAACP Chairman Ben Jealous, CNN news anchor Campbell Brown, and comedian Aisha Tyler. Jealous discussed the work the NAACP did to fight with us against the marriage initiative in North Carolina. The forum's analysis and conversation would have impressed any San Franciscan activist in terms of what we need, how to achieve it, and what's next on the horizon.
The Human Rights Campaign held a luncheon where newly minted President Chad Griffin introduced first lady Michelle Obama with these words: Did you see that dress she was wearing? And where do I get those arms? Joking aside, the first lady spoke passionately about how we don't have a minute to waste in this election. This election is about the lessons we want to teach our kids. Afterwards, she shook hands and spoke with folks.
And then of course, there was the actual convention itself. By my count, we had at least five openly gay speakers (four of whom are elected officials) address the convention floor. These included: Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank; our own California Assembly Speaker John A. Perez; Colorado Congressman Jared Polis; Wisconsin Congresswoman and the first out Senate candidate to address the convention, Tammy Baldwin; and DNC Treasurer Andrew Tobias. All of these individuals made it clear they were part of the LGBT community and all of them were heard not just for their identity as an LGBT individual, but as a Democrat fighting for the values of inclusion.
Instead of trying to hear the word "gay" or the phrase "same-sex marriage," I found it was more difficult to find a person who did not include us. So many straight leaders made impassioned pleas on behalf of our right to marry. President Obama, Michelle Obama, and President Clinton clearly referenced both our right to marry and our right to serve. Others, like the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Emanuel Cleaver, made an impassioned plea for our rights. There were many speakers at the convention, many of whom made incredible speeches, one of whom deserves special recognition. Zach Wahls, the son of two lesbian moms in Iowa, summed up what we've been fighting for when he told Mitt Romney: "My family's every bit as real as yours."
And for all the discussion about the inclusion of same-sex marriage in this year's platform, the delegates voted unanimously to approve it! Over the past four years, we've repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," we've passed the hate crimes prevention act, we've stopped defending the Defense of Marriage Act, and our president is on record supporting gay marriage. Over the next four, when we win, it's time for us to pass an all-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And after that? Well, then I start to dream about what the convention will look like in 2032.
Rebecca Prozan is a lifelong advocate for LGBT rights who serves as the director of community relations under District Attorney George Gasc�"n.
Two LGBT events will be held in San Francisco to support the president next week. One features Washington Governor Gregoire, which will be held Wednesday September 19 and another, which features Wahls, on Friday September 21. For more information, contact [email protected].