Jul 12, 2007Quickie Link: Gay Ally Senator Mike Gravel Excluded From Debate By HRC
By vanrozenheim
(USA) - Yesterday the Human Rights Campaign announced that it will not invite me to the first-ever presidential debate on gay issues because I didn't raise enough money. Fighting for a hated minority is a pretty dumb way to get elected president. And obviously it hasn't helped with my fundraising. So why wasn't I invited to the gay rights forum? According to a HRC spokesperson, I didn't raise enough money and therefore my candidacy did not meet their standard of "viability." Ironically I think the real reason why HRC didn't invite me is that I'm too vocal in my advocacy of gay rights. None of the top tier candidates would have been comfortable facing an opponent who consistently points out their refusal to embrace true equality for gays and lesbians. HRC simply bowed to the star factor. It's just a shame that this travesty was perpetrated in the name of the LGBT community.
