Why I like Mike (Gay)
Looking beyond easy answers for the Democratic nominee who truly backs gay equality.
By JULIE ENSZER Friday, January 12, 2007
IT’S AN ODD political year for the Democrats. More Democrats are declaring that they are not going to run for the Democratic presidential nomination than are. Media outlets are confounded and, without records of many more potential candidates to analyze (and with the two current “frontrunners” having scant records of their own), they are focusing prospective voters on questions of identity. Would you elect a woman president? Would you elect a black president?
I can’t be the only person wondering when will we elect an openly lesbian or gay president? No one is asking that question. We’re still obsessed with parsing the difference between a marriage and a civil union. In absence of the openly gay candidate, however, I’m looking for candidates who will open a more progressive dialogue on our issues in 2008.
That’s how I came to meet Mike Gravel. Gravel (pronounced Gra-VELL) was a senator from Alaska from 1969 until 1981. Since that time he’s been working on a project he calls The National Initiative, a campaign to bring direct democracy to the United States through initiatives at the federal level.
Read the full column here.
Looking beyond easy answers for the Democratic nominee who truly backs gay equality.
By JULIE ENSZER Friday, January 12, 2007
IT’S AN ODD political year for the Democrats. More Democrats are declaring that they are not going to run for the Democratic presidential nomination than are. Media outlets are confounded and, without records of many more potential candidates to analyze (and with the two current “frontrunners” having scant records of their own), they are focusing prospective voters on questions of identity. Would you elect a woman president? Would you elect a black president?
I can’t be the only person wondering when will we elect an openly lesbian or gay president? No one is asking that question. We’re still obsessed with parsing the difference between a marriage and a civil union. In absence of the openly gay candidate, however, I’m looking for candidates who will open a more progressive dialogue on our issues in 2008.
That’s how I came to meet Mike Gravel. Gravel (pronounced Gra-VELL) was a senator from Alaska from 1969 until 1981. Since that time he’s been working on a project he calls The National Initiative, a campaign to bring direct democracy to the United States through initiatives at the federal level.
Read the full column here.
2 comments:
I caught your piece in the Blade, and was intrigued by Sen. Gravel. Do you know of anything in writing where he is quoted as saying he is for same-sex marriage?
I actually don't. I am going to email him and the campaign to encourage them to get him on the record about this.
Julie
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