HRC-LOGO COUP: It’s a political and historic coup for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Teamed with MTV Network’s gay cable channel LOGO, the national gay group will, next month, host the first ever gay issues forum with the leading presidential candidates. The three top polling Democratic candidates—Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama—have all confirmed their participation in the Aug. 9, event, which will be broadcast live nationwide on the LOGO cable channel and streamed on its internet site. HRC President Joe Solmonese and singer Melissa Etheridge will serve as questioners but viewers will be encouraged to send questions in via the LOGOonline.com and HRC.org websites. The one-hour-long event will be staged in Los Angeles and will air at 6 p.m. Pacific Time. HRC spokesperson Brad Luna said the organization invited all major party candidates, including Republicans, who had gathered at least $100,000 in contributions. The only one who hadn’t, he said, was Democrat Michael Gravel. Luna said HRC and LOGO had planned on one Democratic forum and one Republican forum, but no Republicans said ‘yes.’ In fact, noted Luna, only one Republican even bothered to say ‘no.’ That was Mitt Romney.
CURIOUSER: The latest curiosity on the electronic campaign trail has to be the lesbian-tease tribute to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by a 21-year-old female model in Los Angeles who sings, ‘I know you’re not gay but I’m hoping you’re bi….’ Taryn Southern said she produced the original video for posting on YouTube in response to the ‘Obamagirl’ tribute to Democratic competitor Barack Obama. Southern’s video, like the Obamagirl’s, starts out with the performer on the phone, purportedly with the object of her affection. ‘I have a crush on a girl named Hill,’ sings Southern, ‘but she’s not with me, she’s with this guy named Bill.’
AND CURIOUSER: CNN and YouTube are soliciting questions, submitted by video, to be asked to the Democratic candidates when they meet again in debate on July 23, in South Carolina. Among the more hilarious –and least likely to be aired—come from a two-man team called RedStateUpdate—who, elsewhere, do a hilarious clip on Brokeback Mountain as ‘a western.’ The men, Jonathan Shockley and Travis Harmon of Tennessee, parody good ole boys from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and note that Vice President Dick Cheney is uncomfortable talking about his lesbian daughter. One suggests asking Clinton: ‘Are you gonna mind when people start mentioning Chelsea being a lesbian?’ ‘Chelsea ain’t no lesbian,’ says the other. ‘She is in my mind,’ says the first guy. ‘So is Dennis Kucinich’s wife, and they’re friends.’
STAFFING OUT: Potential Republican presidential contender Fred Thompson has hired an openly gay staffer as one of his chief spokespersons. Robert Traynham was a staffer to U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Penn.) in 2005 when he confirmed being gay to a gay web site. The revelation was difficult for many to understand, given that Santorum had taken a high profile position in pushing much of the then Republican-dominated Senate’s anti-gay agenda. But given Traynham’s willingness to work for Santorum, his willingness to work for Thompson is not so difficult to understand.
ELIZABETH II: Senator John Edwards’ wife Elizabeth was a headliner at the Human Rights Campaign’s gala fundraiser in San Francisco Saturday night, July 14.
TOP 10 LISTS: All the Republican candidates are opposed to equal rights for gay couples when it comes to marriage licensing, and many list this opposition prominently on their websites. Republican Rudy Giuliani’s website includes summaries of his positions on only 10 issues, including ‘fiscal discipline,’ ‘winning the war on terror,’ ‘Iraq,’ and ‘Marriage.’ Senator Sam Brownback lists 12, including marriage. Governor Mitt Romney lists 10, and while ‘Marriage’ is not one of them, he includes his opposition to same-sex marriage under ‘Affirming America’s Culture and Values.’ Senator John McCain lists only nine and marriage is nowhere to be found.