MSNBC On Prepping LGBT Candidates

PODCAST: Same Sex Sunday

Same Sex Sunday is a weekly LGBT news and activism podcast hosted by Phil Reese and Joe Mirabella. This week's guests:

Christian Berle: Deputy Director, Log Cabin Republicans
Christopher Massicotte: Treasurer, Stonewall Democrats
Shawn Werner: Director of Campaign Services, Victory Fund
Michael J Wilson: Director, Americans for Democratic Action

Today's topics: "After Tuesday's election, the political landscape clearly changed for the gay, lesbian, bi, and transgender communities. But how did it change? What does a Republican majority mean? What role do Log Cabin Republicans play in moving us forward? How did state races move us closer to marriage equality? Will Obama face a Democratic primary challenge?"

Lexington KY Elects Openly Gay Mayor

The Victory Fund reports that Lexington, Kentucky, the state's second-largest city, has elected openly gay candidate Jim Gray as mayor.

Vice-Mayor Jim Gray was victorious tonight in his second campaign for the city’s top job, beating incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry. This is a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community and for fairness. We are proud of Jim Gray and his fantastic campaign staff who fought hard for this win,” said Chuck Wolfe, Victory Fund’s president and CEO.

Kentucky! SRSLY!

Victory Fund Asks: What Will You Lose?

A new campaign from the Victory Fund: "Anti-gay extremists are pumping millions of dollars into campaigns across the country. Their goal: to silence fair-minded American voters by electing candidates who won't stand up to their hate and bigotry. But what's really at stake? If anti-gay extremists win, what will you lose?" The Victory Fund invites your own video submissions.

(Via - Towleroad)

Mehlman Reactions

Log Cabin Republicans

"Log Cabin Republicans is very supportive and appreciative of Ken's coming out. Being gay and being conservative are not mutually exclusive,” said Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper. “As a fellow Bush alumnus, I also look forward to Ken helping me and our colleagues build a stronger and more inclusive Republican Party. Nothing presents a better argument for the equality of gay and lesbian citizens than the reality of our lives as responsible members of society. I am happy that Ken has come to a place where he can take a stand with integrity, and I welcome him as yet another conservative, common-sense voice to join with Log Cabin Republicans and all Americans in this important dialogue."

Victory Fund

“Coming out is a personal decision, and it can have a profound impact on families, friends, colleagues and constituents. We hope the fact that Ken Mehlman has reached this level of honesty will now encourage other political leaders to reject divisive anti-gay campaign tactics which, as Mr. Mehlman now admits, are purely cynical attempts to manipulate the American public,” Wolfe said. ”We look forward to the day when all political leaders, regardless of party, are able to be honest about themselves and their families, and still rise to positions where they can lead by example.”

Geoffrey Kors (Equality California)

"I'm glad he finally came out and glad he's raising money and working to undo the tremendous damage he did to LGBT people. He needs to acknowledge the damage he caused and apologize for the lives he's ruined, raise millions of dollars to overturn every one of the state constitutional amendments (banning same-sex marriage that) he helped pass, and spend the rest of his life working to achieve equality and justice for the community he is part of that he used for selfish political purposes."

Stonewall Democrats

“The coming out process is a very personal and sacred one, regardless of one’s party, class or position of power and we’re glad that Mehlman has taken the opportunity to live his life openly and authentically. It is a stark illustration, however, of how damaging the closet can be when one puts ideology over personal integrity. Mehlman presided over the Republican Party at a time when the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans were used to ill ends – marriage amendments in dozens of states, vitriolic attacks on our families, our soldiers, our very lives – all for political expediency, votes at the ballot box, and power.

"Imagine what a different America it would be if Mehlman had drawn a line in the sand and said, 'No. The lives of fellow Americans – an American like me – should not be used in this bigoted way.' Ultimately, Mehlman’s story is a cautionary tale of the damage that can be visited on literally millions of people at the intersection of power and the closet. We recognize that this might have been a difficult decision for Mehlman. It’s ironic that he had to make this decision in an environment that is even more difficult and painful because of the policies and politics overseen and sanctioned by him. The next chapter of Mehlman’s life could be about the good that someone can accomplish when authenticity and integrity wins out. We look forward to working with Mr. Mehlman now on issues that many of us have been working on for decades.”

More reactions will be added to this post as they arrive.

Netroots Nation: Friday Recap

I started the day early at a breakfast with openly gay Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, who is running for Congress against Rep. Mary Bono-Mack. (I'll post my Q&A with Pougnet a bit later.) Then it was off to the grand hall to catch the tail-end of Van Jones' brilliant morning keynote. After that was the "Organizing For Equality in the Obama Era" panel, featuring moderators Pam Spaulding, Evan Wolfson (Freedom To Marry), and Rick Jacobs (Courage Campaign.) Best panel event so far.

Back to the convention hall for lunch, where speakers included Kate Kendall (National Center for Lesbian Rights), Mike Lux (co-founder of Open Left), anti-racism activist Tim Wise, and Lennox Yearwood (Hip Hop Nation). And then all us homogays gathered for the LGBT Caucus, where Mike Rogers, Kerry Eleveld (The Advocate), and Denis Dison (Victory Fund) broke us into four groups to brainstorm how digital activists and LGBT orgs might better collaborate. (Among other topics.) Whew! Full day. Time for cocktails. Many cocktails.

UNRELATED: It looks like some of us will be hitting Fun Hogs tonight. Come hang with us!

The Strange Case Of Matthew Vanderpool

Yesterday Matthew Vanderpool, an openly gay candidate for the Kentucky state legislature, issued a press release declaring that he had rejected campaign donations from the Victory Fund because he didn't want to be in their "back pocket." Vanderpool said that while he is gay, he "has no gay agenda" and that being gay "does not define my entire life or the things I stand for." He then gave InterstateQ this quote: “Excuse me for putting it this way, but if I prance around my district saying ‘gay this’ or ‘gay that,’ it will destroy me. The guy I’m running against is so conservative and anti-gay he will make it look like that is the only reason I’m running.”

I happened to be sitting next to the Victory Fund's Denis Dison yesterday so I asked him about Vanderpool. Dison offers this response:

"This is a fairly clever stunt, but look closer and you realize how silly and disingenuous the whole thing is. The Victory Fund doesn't offer its endorsement to anyone who doesn't ask for it, and it was certainly never offered to Mr. Vanderpool. Our endorsement comes after a thorough examination of a candidate's viability in a given race. Given the behavior it has exhibited so far, I think I understand why this campaign probably didn't want to face the scrutiny. Ask any of our endorsed candidates who've won elective office whether they consider themselves in the "back pocket" of the Victory Fund. The truth is we do not lobby our own candidates or anyone else on any issue. Period. Mr. Vanderpool is getting some terrible campaign advice."

More about Vanderpool and his apparently wacko campaign manager here.