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Two years ago, John McCain campaigned to deny marriage to Arizona GLBT couples.  Now he's publicly supporting the ballot initiative to end marriage equality in California. And he's even said he wouldn't rule out a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide.

Watch Sen. McCain's 2006 campaign ad in support of the Arizona marriage amendment and then use HRC's action alert to tell him to stop embracing anti-LGBT amendments:

Sign HRC's petition to tell Sen. McCain to stop supporting measures that deny committed, adult couples the rights and responsibilities of marriage.

During the summer it gets hot in Mesquite, Texas.  However, the heat didn’t stop Dallas Camp Equality participants from going door-to-door to help re-elect openly lesbian Latina Sheriff Lupe Valdez and to help elect Robert Miklos to the Texas State House.

HRC Camp Equality volunteers Natalie and Lara share their thoughts on their first canvass experience:

From Natalie:

On Saturday I participated in block-walking for two of Texas' fair-minded, progressive candidates and I didn't know what to expect and to be honest, I was a bit nervous.

I thought, "How can I best communicate with my fellow citizens?  I've never done this before; will I get our message across successfully?" I walked each block in the Texas sun and knocked on many doors.  I left literature on doors when my knock wasn't responded to. And then there was those doors that opened.  I engaged in conversation and I listened to an elderly woman as she told me of how our system was broken and how she longed for representation to arrive and repair our broken healthcare system so her sick son could receive the hospital care he needed.  This is just one of several conversations that I will carry with me.

I wanted to do something that mattered.  For each step I took on those streets, for each house I walked up to, I became empowered.  You will be amazed of how much you will learn and grow and most of all, speak with those individuals that may have never had a candidate reach out to them.  All it takes to get involved is to make that one decision to try.

From Lara:

What a day…

Getting started early on a Saturday morning never sounded more appealing. I had first become motivated to participate in HRC’s efforts leading up to this November through a two-day training Camp Equality in Dallas. The warm energy and purpose in a freezing Dallas hotel conference room was an empowering experience; a room full of fair-minded persons was my first motivation to work harder and push further, so I could have at least a small part in making 2008 “Our Time to Win”.

I also had the pleasure of meeting two wonderful Democratic candidates (among others) running for office in Dallas County. Robert Miklos, running for Texas House Representative, is an important leader in the fight for an equal-minded majority in the legislature. Camp-goers were also introduced to the charisma of Sheriff Lupe Valdez of Dallas County, running for re-election.

Sheriff Valdez and Mr. Miklos are a promise that our state is one step closer to breaking barriers in the name of equality and achieving our goal of a fair-minded majority in the state (5 seats to go!). Their promises and the undeniable energy of that weekend could only culminate into the desire to do more still.

And so, on a sweltering Saturday morning, the first stop was the Miklos campaign headquarters, where we met fellow Camp Equality Dallas participants. In a room of familiar faces, Miklos and Valdez were among those handing out block-walking materials, assigning neighborhoods, and nourishing themselves with glazed donuts for the long walk ahead.

Temperatures rose, but responses started to get better. One house we visited was a residence of a woman and proud mother; she is familiar with the feeling of hopelessness and disappointment in healthcare, and illustrated to us the great need for change in her son’s life and the rest of the community. Hearing that story was so real, such an impression, that I no longer only felt motivated, but empowered to walk on for something vital, even if few felt the same.

And at the end of the day, it was satisfying enough to push name recognition for the candidates, pass out literature, and at least encourage them to register and mark their calendars, for November.

Whether it’s having the time or finding the time to volunteer, for the betterment of one community or many, there was the satisfaction of knowing I was one more strong voice for equality. That’s a satisfaction and a purpose that I will easily take, any day, over a few extra hours of sleep.

[Paid Political Advertisement by Human Rights Campaign Texas Families PAC.]

On September 2, 2008, the New York State Supreme Court, Bronx County, dismissed a petition seeking to invalidate Gov. Paterson’s May 14, 2008 directive that state agencies fully recognize out-of-state gay and lesbian marriages.  The petition was brought by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) on behalf of taxpayers and several state legislators against Gov. Paterson in his official capacity. The case name is Golden et al. v. Paterson et al. The court granted a lesbian couple married in Canada leave to intervene –the couple was represented by Lambda Legal as well as a private law firm.

The petitioners challenged the governor’s directive as exceeding his lawful authority and asked the court to rule that marriages validly entered into by gay and lesbian couples outside New York not be recognized in the state.  The court granted the Governor’s and the intervenor couple’s motion to dismiss the proceeding and rejected ADF’s arguments.

The court rejected the ADF’s argument that the marriage recognition rule should not apply to out of state marriages by gay and lesbian couples because they are “not marriages”.  The court explained that the common law rule is designed to adapt to the times, and that even if marriage by gay and lesbian couples was not envisioned in the past, it is certainly recognized today in various jurisdictions, and there is no evidence a majority of New Yorkers disapprove of marriage by gay and lesbian couples (the court cited the fact that the state Assembly passed a marriage equality bill, which has not been acted on by the Senate, and suggested that even if there was disapproval, that would not be enough to trump the common law rule).

The court’s opinion also includes some strong favorable language—for instance, the court wrote that “The Governor’s Directive is an incremental but important step toward equality long denied, even if, according to the New York Court of Appeals, full equality is not constitutionally mandated.” 

The decision may be appealed.
 

During her 2006 run for Governor, Sarah Palin filled out an Alaska Eagle Forum questionnaire that reveals even more about her stance and views on LGBT equality. 

One of the questions the conservative group asked her on the questionnaire was her views on expanding hate crimes laws.  The question reads, “Will you support an effort to expand hate crimes laws?” 

Palin answered, “No, as I believe all heinous crime is based on hate.”

Another question from the same survey asked, “Do you support the Alaska Supreme Court’s ruling that spousal benefits for state employees should be given to same-sex couples? Why or why not?”

Palin answered, “No, I believe spousal benefits are reserved for married citizens as defined in our constitution.”

And last, but not least, Palin was asked what her top three priorities, as regards to families, would be while Governor.

Palin answered, “#2 - Preserving the definition of ‘marriage’ as defined in our constitution.”

The full questionnaire and answers can be found here:  http://web.archive.org/web/20070501192322/http://eagleforumalaska.blogspot.com/2006/07/2006-gubernatorial-candidate.html

Joe Solmonese said this in response:

I’d say we have a pretty definitive understanding of where Sarah Palin stands on issue of equality for our community.  Sarah Palin is against recognizing our relationships, against domestic partner benefits, and against hate crimes laws.  She championed that her second top priority in office would be preserving an anti-gay definition of marriage.  The more we find out about her record, the more frightening her record becomes. 

When asked about the right-wing’s reaction to the choice of Gov Palin, the New York Times quoted Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition as saying, “They’re beyond ecstatic”.

Here are some additional highlights of Governor Palin’s Anti-Equality Record:

•        Prior to being elected governor, Palin supported the 1998 constitutional amendment barring marriage for same-sex couples and has said she would support a ballot measure overturning a state supreme court decision mandating benefits for domestic partners of state employees
•        She is close to “traditional values” groups, like Family Research Council, because she is strongly anti-choice.

Marriage and Relationship Recognition
•        Palin told the Anchorage Daily News that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment on marriage.
•        In addition, she told the Daily News that she would support a ballot question that would deny benefits to the domestic partners of public employees, which were ordered by an October 2005 decision of the Alaska Supreme Court, because, she said “honoring the family structure is that important." http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/governor06/story/8049298p-7942233c.html
•        While she followed the Court’s decision and he also signed legislation –her first legislative act as Governor of Alaska—to put the issue on the April 2007 ballot for a nonbinding advisory vote.  This was the only issue on the ballot and that election cost the state taxpayers $1.2 million.  This measure passed, but the legislature did not follow the public’s advice and it chose not to take any further action to overturn the court’s decision. 
•        She did, however, veto legislation passed by the state legislature in 2006 that would have prohibited providing DP benefits to state workers, in defiance of the Alaska Supreme Court’s ruling.  She did this after the Supreme Court had already ruled and the Attorney General (Republican) advised her that the legislation was unconstitutional.  Palin went on to state that, as a matter of policy, she was in favor of the bill.

Ties to Anti-LGBT Groups
•        She will be honored alongside anti-gay Representative Michelle Bachman (R-MN) at an event at the 2008 Republican Convention, the “Life of the Party,” sponsored in part by long-time opponent of GLBT rights, Phyllis Schlafly.

Here's Joe Solmonese's response to the Log Cabin Republicans deciding to endorse John McCain today:

John McCain claims to be a maverick who breaks with his party, but on matters of LGBT equality, he’s shown that he’s anything but. He actively campaigned for a constitutional amendment that would have banned marriage and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples in his home state of Arizona. He went so far as to appear in television commercials for that campaign, is now supporting an amendment to strip marriage equality from California couples and has said that he’d vote for a federal marriage amendment if laws already banning marriage equality were to be struck down by federal courts. Sarah Palin has also supported bans on marriage and even domestic partner benefits in Alaska. The Republican Party, McCain and Palin’s party, has declared in its platform that they want to pass the federal marriage amendment. Their party’s platform also calls gay and lesbian Americans unfit for military service, supports policies that would allow faith-based organizations to deny us jobs and services using federal dollars, and attacks judges who acknowledge our equality under the law. The Human Rights Campaign endorses mavericks on both sides of the aisle — neither John McCain nor Sarah Palin is among them.

For more on John McCain's anti-LGBT record, download HRC PAC's report "Senator John McCain: A Record of Opposing the Interests of GLBT Americans."

From Brian Moulton, HRC's Associate Counsel:

Last week, in accepting the Democratic nomination for President, Senator Obama called for Americans to find common ground on controversial issues, including acknowledging that while people disagree about marriage equality, we could all support simple benefits for same-sex couples, like hospital visitation, and oppose discrimination.  Today, on the heels of the nomination of a vice presidential candidate who opposes basic benefits for same-sex couples, the Republican Party adopted a 2008 Platform that clearly rejects Senator Obama's call for consensus and, instead, supports policies that would at best ignore, and at worse greatly harm, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. 

In its preamble, the Republican Platform's drafters claim that it embodies ideals "that unify our country," including "devotion to the inherent dignity and rights of every person."  For the GLBT community, the Platform's ideal of "dignity" includes calling us unfit for military service, opposing legal recognition for our relationships and our families, supporting faith-based organizations that would deny us jobs and services using federal dollars, and attacking judges who acknowledge our equality under the law.      

While there has been some controversy over the language used to support our community in the Democratic Platform, there is no question about where the Republican Platform stands -- there isn't a positive word about GLBT people to be found. It's critical that our community and our allies continue to press Republicans to live up to the rhetoric of unity and dignity by abandoning attacks on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and, instead, working to protect and support us and our families.   

Here are further details about the provisions affecting GLBT people in the Republican Platform:

“Defending Our Nation”
In the first section, centered on U.S. security at home and abroad, the Platform supports policies harmful to GLBT people.  It calls for renewal of the “E-Verify” employee verification system, which can create workplace difficulties for transgender employees when it reveals potential inconsistencies between identity documents and workplace appearance.   It opposes the grant of asylum to individuals “on the basis of lifestyle or other non-political factors,” encouraging immigration officials to send GLBT people back to hostile nations, an act often tantamount to a death sentence.  It praises the “timelessness” of military values, including “the incompatibility of homosexuality with military service,” thus calling for a return to the time when gay, lesbian, and bisexual people could not even serve their country as so many do today, in silence.   

“Securing the Peace”
This section discusses “promoting our values” overseas, but with the exception of support for international efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, these “values” do not include acknowledging the dignity and equality of GLBT people.  It demands that U.S. efforts to address global social problems “respect the fundamental institutions of marriage and family,” undoubtedly understood not to include GLBT families. 

“Reforming Government to Serve the People”
This section focuses on fixing our “broken” system, including addressing the “grave threat” of judicial activism.  It “laments” that judges are “undermining traditional marriage law from coast to coast” and calls for the appointment of “constitutionalist” judges who will cease “usurping democracy.”  This section also supports the right of states to require photo identification for voting, which can be used to discriminate against transgender people in exercising the most fundamental right of an American citizen.   

“Health Care Reform: Putting Patients First”
This section addresses the challenge of meeting the health care needs of Americans, but does not, apparently, value the GLBT community’s access to critical care free from discrimination.  It supports giving medical professionals and religious health care providers the ability to “obey their conscience,” thereby using their religious beliefs to refuse treatment to GLBT people and their families.

“Education Means a More Competitive America”
This section centers on improving America’s educational system, but calls for policies that will continue to ignore and endanger GLBT youth.  It calls for the continuation of failed abstinence-only-until-marriage sexuality education programs, which exclude and even demonize GLBT people.  It also supports “alternatives to ideological accrediting systems” for colleges and universities, ostensibly including those accreditors with nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

“Protecting Our Families”
This section focuses on efforts to fight crime, but the families referenced in the title do not appear to include GLBT people.  It supports a greater focus on the “traditional family” in crime reduction and community building programs.  It calls for greater involvement of faith-based institutions, but simultaneously supports their ability to discriminate with federal dollars.

“Preserving Our Values”
This section affirms “the rights of the people under the rule of law,” but again, this does not include the rights of GLBT people.  It describes as “immoral” discrimination on a number of bases, but leaves sexual orientation and gender identity and expression off of that list.  It calls for a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage solely as the union of a man and a woman, “so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it,” and, in its absence, supports the right of people in the states to adopt similar amendments.  It further expresses support for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and, “to safeguard that victory,” the passage of legislation stripping jurisdiction over DOMA from the federal courts. 

This section also calls for greater protections for religious people and organizations, including faith-based organizations’ access to federally-funded programs “without renouncing their beliefs…  or becoming subject to government-imposed hiring practices,” opening the door to discrimination against GLBT people with taxpayer dollars.  It affirms the Boy Scouts and other groups “whose values are under assault,” presumably by state and local governments who oppose the discriminatory practices of those groups with regard to sexual orientation and religion.  It calls on Massachusetts to stop “blacklisting” religious adoption agencies which refuse to serve legally-married same-sex couples.  In addition, it urges “reasonable accommodation” of religious beliefs in the workplace; as this right is already guaranteed under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this is likely a call for tipping the balance for religious employees and against GLBT workers. 

Special thanks to Justin Brown, one of our Houston Camp Equality participants, for this guest post:

*****************************

I was very excited to continue the work we started with Camp Equality and to go out and do more work for fair-minded candidates in the Houston area. I spent a Saturday afternoon knocking on doors - but one of the first things I did when I arrived to the office was to get a yard sign for myself and a friend who I know is also a supporter. I started looking at the Senate District map and realized that even though my friend lives less than ¼ mile away from me and even the street behind his house is in Senate District 17, his street is not. He’s in a different Senate District. This really struck me because I was making calls to Port Arthur. For those of you who are not familiar with Southeast Texas, Port Arthur is almost 90 miles away from my house and in a different area code. Looking at the map of my senate district really underscores the importance of electing fair and equality minded candidates to the Texas Legislature so that when redistricting occurs again we will be better represented.

Does this map look logical to you?

This campaign, as well as many others, has the ability to help change the legislative landscape in Texas and to help ensure appropriate representation of all Texans. There are opportunities for you to help make a difference by volunteering to make phone calls or to canvass through neighborhoods. Please contact me at jbrown90@sbcglobal.net to find out how you can participate in this or other exciting campaigns in the Houston area!

Good afternoon,

As I write this, the Democratic National Committee Convention in Denver is wrapping up, and after this historic week, my excitement level is about a mile high. What a tremendous way to enter the homestretch of this crucially important campaign season.

But it’s going to be a brutal battle until Election Day. Sen. John McCain is going to try to use every trick in the book to hold back progress and ensure that he can continue the legacy of the Bush Administration.

Today the McCain campaign announced that it has selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as its vice-presidential nominee. Gov. Palin hasn’t had much time in office to establish a clear record on LGBT issues. However, what we do know about her is very troubling. Not only is Palin strongly opposed to marriage equality, but she supports taking away domestic partnership benefits that her state’s Supreme Court has mandated must be available to state employees. That means she doesn’t even support offering health insurance and pension benefits to loving, committed couples. What a frightening window into the person who, as the running mate of the second-oldest person to run for our nation’s highest office, is a heartbeat away from the presidency.

McCain’s choice makes even more palpable the importance of HRC’s election work. In Denver, we held a number of events aimed at raising LGBT visibility and galvanizing the energy and political leverage of this community to bring us to victory in November.

LGBT delegates, activists, HRC board members, elected officials, and members of the media came together for a remarkably successful reception honoring the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on Monday. To see photos and read more about it, read the HRC Back Story post on the reception here.

On Monday evening, my XM radio show, “The Agenda,” was broadcast live from the Pepsi Center with an all-star line-up including Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), Gayle King, CNN’s Hilary Rosen, and Washington Post’s Mary Ann Akers. For more information or to hear clips from the show, visit www.hrc.org/TheAgenda.

On Tuesday, over 600 people attended a luncheon honoring the LGBT delegates hosted by HRC, along with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Reps. Baldwin and Frank. We were treated to a surprise visit by Michelle Obama, who spoke of her husband’s pro-LGBT record. To see pictures from the luncheon and to watch a video of Michelle’s remarks, check out the HRC Back Story blog posts about them here and here.

Later that evening was the Rock to Win event, featuring Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Thelma Houston, and Margaret Cho. Rock to Win was a fantastic night of music and laughter, but it also delivered a sober political message: that the LGBT community has made amazing progress in the past four years, but we still have much further to go. Rock to Win was covered by the Denver Post and the Chicago Sun-Times. The HRC Back Story blog posts on Rock to Win are here and here.

On Wednesday, Chris Johnson, lead blogger at HRC Back Story, moderated an HRC-sponsored panel at the Big Tent called “LGBT issues in 2008: What a Difference Four Years Makes.” Panelists included Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart, and Arizona State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema. The panel was webcast live on HRC Back Story, and a video of the event will be posted there shortly.

I’ll end by honoring the memory of a true champion of LGBT equality. Del Martin, an ardent activist for decades, was an inspiration long before she and her beloved Phyllis Lyon became the first LGBT couple to legally marry in California this past June. We will never forget the trail Del blazed for LGBT couples in California, and she’ll be in our hearts as we work tirelessly to preserve the rights she worked so hard to obtain.

Be well, hold your loved ones close, and be renewed in our quest to elect those who’ll finish what Del and Phyllis started. And have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Warmly,

P.S. Next week, the HRC Foundation will release the 2009 edition of the Corporate Equality Index, and it reports promising news from the nation’s largest employers. A record number of businesses achieved a perfect 100 percent score for their treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors, and other major gains have been made as well. I’ll tell you much more about it next week.

11:00 AM MT - During his presidential nomination acceptance speech last night, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) made a statement in support of LGBT families and individuals:

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

Sen. Obama's statement was welcomed by the more than 80,000 spectators at Invesco's Mile High Stadium with a thunderous round of applause.

AMERICAblog's Rob Arena has posted the full text of Sen. Obama's speech here.

Speaking of Obama's gay and lesbian brothers sisters, our media guru Michael Cole recently went to Illinois to interview some of Obama's LGBT friends who've worked with him and known him for years. He's put together this most excellent video that debuted at the Rock to Win concert:

12:36 PM MT: The moment is finally here: Senator Obama will accept the Democratic party's nomination for president tonight at Invesco Field in Denver.  Over 70,000 people will convene in the stadium this afternoon to hear Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) outline his vision for the future of the United States. 

Here in downtown Denver, the weather is absolutely perfect and there's a palpable buzz in the air. Many people are planning to line up for entry to the stadium hours before the speech at 8 PM MT. Doors to Invesco Field open at 1 PM MT. Security will be extremely tight and hopefully everything will go smoothly with getting such a large number of people through the necessary checkpoints and then safely out of the stadium after the speech. 

(Let's just hope the entry process at Invesco goes faster than the ticket pick-up line for tonight's Google/Vanity Fair party.......THAT''S moving at a snail's pace.....)

I'll be watching the speech with other HRC staffers (including my colleague Trevor Thomas, pictured above) at Invesco. More updates later...

Last night's "Rock to Win" concert at Denver's Filmore Auditorium with Thelma Houston, Rufus Wainwright, Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho and Melissa Etheridge was a blast! There was lots of singing and dancing and memorable performances - and the artists put on quite a show too!

Rufus Wainright's sincere and haunting rendition of "Hallelujah" - which he dedicated to the Obamas - was one of my personal highlights of the evening. (That and meeting Thelma Houston...) 

Here are some photos from the evening:

Watch the live USTREAM.TV webcast of our panel at The Big Tent, "LGBT issues in 2008: What a Difference Four Years Makes," at 9:00 AM MT (11:00 AM EST). Panelists: Democratic pollster Celinda Lake; Washington Post editorial board member (and panelist for the Logo/HRC Foundation presidential forum in 2007) Jonathan Capehart, and Arizona State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.

UPDATE: The live webcast has now ended. I'll try to post the recorded video online as soon as possible...

5:30 PM MT - At 7:30 tonight, HRC's “Rock to Win” live music event will be held at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver—a venue modeled on the historic San Francisco Fillmore rock club.  Thelma Houston, Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright are scheduled to perform.

Here are a couple of "behind-the-scenes" shots of the Filmore from our staff pre-show "walk-through" on Monday:

Stay turned for more updates and pictures from the "Rock to Win" concert....

4:30 PM MT - On opening night of the Democratic Convention, Michelle Obama gave a keynote address from the Pepsi Center where she discussed her background, family, and Sen. Obama's vision for America:

The full text of her speech is here. 

This afternoon, Michelle addressed over 600 LGBT delegates, supporters, bloggers and members of the media at a luncheon sponsored by Congressman Barney Frank and the Victory Fund.  Before a packed audience, Michelle talked about Senator Obama's support for LGBT families, the Ryan White Care Act and the full repeal of DOMA and DADT:

11:40 AM MT - There's already a lot of buzz around today's LGBT delegate luncheon sponsored by Congressman Barney Frank and the Victory Fund. This is definitely going to be one HOT event for the LGBT folks here at the Convention.

9:00 A.M. MT - HRC's "Celebrate Diversity" reception with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus was truly a success yesterday. Donna Payne, our associate director of diversity, put together the great reception in the Westin's Mollie Tabor room where delegates, elected officials, HRC Board members, the media, and LGBT activists like the Black Aids Institute's Phill Wilson, Elizabeth Birch and Keith Boykin mingled among their peers. Not to mention, it was a lot of fun!

Here are photos of some of the faces at the event:

3:50 PM (MT) - HRC's "Celebrate Diversity" reception with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus is about to begin shortly. 

Jack Johnson (pictured left), an LGBT delegate and a former state legislator from Arizona, will be one of more than 200 people who will attend tonight's reception. He told us that he is "happy to be here as a gay man, honored to be here as a Native American and humbled to be here as a delegate of the Party that embraces every citizen of this nation."

We're expecting this to be a very successful reception and I hope to get some good photos to post. I'll try to post pictures as soon as I can...

****UPDATE: Photos from the reception are here.

HRC President Joe Solmonese will be one of the featured panelists on a discussion, "Dividing the Voters: Working the Wedge in 2008," sponsored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights at the Big Tent. 

The panel was webcasted live on USTREAM.TV.

It's a beautiful morning in Denver and Brad Luna, Trevor Thomas, and I are heading downtown to jump head first into the Convention action. The Convention officially kicks off today at 5 PM. Up first for us, a 9 AM HRC convention staff meeting/conference call to make sure everyone has their marching orders (although I personally prefer to skip...).  The DNC LGBT Caucus lunch at noon and HRC's "Celebrate Diversity" reception at 4 PM are the events that will headline our day today. Donna Payne, our associate director of diversity, forwarded me some background on a few of the people that will be featured at tonight's reception. I'll try to post on the blog today...

Joe Solmonese will be a panelist on a discussion sponsored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights at the Big Tent at 2 PM MT (4 PM EST) today:

Scheduled to Appear:
Ben Jealous, incoming NAACP President and CEO
Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign President
Arturo Vargas, head of National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
Peter Groff, President of the Colorado Senate

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) will sponsor a discussion about some of the hot topics in the 2008 elections, including equal opportunity, immigration and marriage rights.

Sponsor: Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Topics covered: Race/Diversity, LGBT, Latino

Speaker Pelosi and President Jimmy Carter will speak this afternoon. Sen. Ted Kennedy (!) and Michelle Obama will speak tonight at the Pepsi Center during primetime. I AM BRIMMING WITH ANTICIPATION to hear what Michelle has to say to America -- and girl, what is she going to wear??!

We're here!

I just arrived from Washington, DC into Denver a little while ago, and if the cheery greeting by the DNC volunteers decked out in orange shirts welcoming travelers at the Denver International Airport is any indicator of how the Convention will be organized, we're in store for an exciting week ahead that will hopefully run rather smoothly.  I'm here at my hotel now in Highlands Ranch, and while I can see the mountains and a sliver of the Denver skyline from my room (...if I practically lean out the window), this place looks very spread out at first glance.  I'll have to figure out the lay of the land rather quickly if I don't want to lose my bearings - or worse, my ride back to the hotel!   

I'll be reporting from Denver on HRC's activities at the Convention through Friday - as well as some of the other people, places, and things here at the Convention that I think you should know about. I'll have my video camera and computer ready with me to get as much great footage and pictures as I can. HRC and Back Story is really going to be all up in the mix this week!

(I'll also be trying to do some serious 'liveblogging' from Huffington Post's Oasis of my own, so don't mind me...)

On Wednesday at 9 AM MT (11 AM EST), I'll be moderating a 50-minute, four person panel at The Big Tent, the central communications hub for citizen journalists, bloggers and new media types during the Democratic National Convention. The discussion, entitled, “LGBT Issues in 2008: What a Difference Four Years Makes,”  will focus on public opinion research on attitudes towards LGBT issues; media coverage of LGBT issues; Sen. John McCain’s troubling record on issues important to the LGBT community; and anti-LGBT state ballot initiatives. We're fortunate to have assembled an all-star lineup of panelists with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake; Washington Post editorial board member (and panelist for the Logo/HRC Foundation presidential forum in 2007) Jonathan Capehart, and Arizona State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema. 

The panel will be webcast live on USTREAM.TV. I hope to carry the live webcast feed on Back Story so stay tuned for updates!

Here's a schedule of the week's "LGBT-related" DNC convention activities that we have on our radar:

Monday, August 25:
                
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. LGBT Caucus Meeting; Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Trevor Thomas, DNCC.

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Stonewall Democrats Tea Party; The Pinnacle Club by the Grand Hyatt Media contact: John Marble, Stonewall Democrats.
   
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Celebrating Diversity Reception by Human Rights Campaign; Westin Tabor Center 1672 Lawrence Street Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Brad.Luna@hrc.org. 

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (EST) The Agenda with Joe Solmonese will air live from the convention with special guests Rep. Diana DeGette; Hilary Rosen, Huffington Post; Mary Ann Akers, Washington Post; Patrick Gavin, Washington Examiner; and GLBT Delegates.  The program airs live every Monday night on XM Radio’s Channel 155.  It is co-hosted by Mary Breslauer.

Tuesday, August 26:
                
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch for LGBT Delegates Hosted by Rep. Barney Frank, with Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Human Rights Campaign; Sheraton Hotel, 1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Steve Adamske, barneyfrankpress@gmail.com.

7:00 p.m. Human Rights Campaign presents “Rock to Win” with Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright and Margaret Cho; Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St Denver, CO 80218; Media contact: Brad.Luna@hrc.org

Wednesday, August 27:

****9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Human Rights Campaign hosts panel discussion on LGBT Issues in 2008: What a Difference Four Years Makes; The Big Tent.  Panelists: Celinda Lake, Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (Del.) and Jonathan Capehart.  Media contact: Christopher.Johnson@hrc.org.

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. LGBT Caucus Meeting; Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Trevor Thomas, DNCC

Convention headline and featured speakers:

Monday, August 25 – One Nation.

Monday’s headline prime-time speaker will be Michelle Obama. Other Monday night speakers include: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri; Barack Obama’s sister Maya Soetero-Ng and Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s older brother; Jerry Kellman, mentor and long-time friend of Barack Obama; Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.; former Indiana Representative Lee Hamilton; Tom Balanoff, President of Illinois SEIU; Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America; NEA President Reg Weaver; AFT President Randi Weingarten; Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; State Comptroller Dan Hynes; Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulis; Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle; and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.  Monday night will also feature a tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Tuesday, August 26 – Renewing America’s Promise.

Senator Hillary Clinton will be the headline prime-time speaker and former Virginia Governor Mark Warner will deliver the keynote address on Tuesday night. Pay Equity pioneer Lilly Ledbetter will also address the Convention on Tuesday.  Other Tuesday speakers will include: Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana; Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts; Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona; Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia; Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin; Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania; Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio; Governor David Paterson of New York; Governor Chet Culver of Iowa; Senator Bob Casey, Jr., of Pennsylvania; Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont; former Secretary of Energy and Transportation Federico Peña; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; House Democratic Caucus Chair Rahm Emanuel; Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Assistant to the Speaker of the House; and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Chris Van Hollen, who will use his time to showcase his top candidates for change. Representatives Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mike Honda (D-CA), California Controller John Chiang, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, Change To Win’s Anna Burger, and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will also speak.

Wednesday, August 27 – Securing America’s Future.

The headline prime-time speaker on Wednesday will be Barack Obama’s Vice Presidential Nominee, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE).  Featured speakers will include: Former President Bill Clinton; former Senator Tom Daschle; Governor Bill Richardson and Senators Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, John Kerry and Jay Rockefeller. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Convention home state Senator Ken Salazar, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, and Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) along with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth will lead a tribute honoring those who give so much to secure our nation’s future – veterans, active duty military and their families.

Thursday, August 28 – Change You Can Believe In.

On Thursday night, the DNCC will throw open the doors of the Convention and move to INVESCO Field at Mile High so that more Americans can be a part of the fourth night of the Convention as Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination. Obama will communicate the urgency of the moment, highlight the struggles Americans are facing and call on Americans to come together to change the course of our nation. Additional details of the program to precede Barack Obama’s acceptance speech will be announced later this week.