December 18, 2007

GNW 5: Gay vs. gay-friendly

Posted by: Chris

1. "Gay contestant Todd Herzog wins 'Survivor: China'": QUICK LOOK: He was obnoxious and often times repugnant with his backstabbing and overly paranoid game play, but this weekend, at the age of 22, gay flight attendant Todd Herzog became... (MORE)
2. "Colo. activists bypass gay candidate in House race": QUICK LOOK: He's gay and she's straight, but Colorado's top gay activists didn't hesitate when it came time to endorse in the 2nd Congressional District race. They've backed former... (MORE)
3. "'60 Min': Military soft on gay discharges during war: QUICK LOOK: Discharges of gay soldiers are dropping, dramatically: from over 1,200 a year in 2001 to barely 600. With the military struggling to fight two wars, there are growing... (MORE)
4. "Gay entrepreneurs wearing their hearts on their T-shirts": QUICK LOOK: The symbol is known to many — three gold bars within a blue box, the Human Rights Campaign's ubiquitous sign, inspiring the fight for gay and lesbian rights and, apparently,... (MORE)
5. "TV anchor busted for calling N.Y. cop a 'dyke bitch'": QUICK LOOK: A foxy Philly anchorwoman - who once e-mailed sexy swimsuit snaps to a married TV talking head - became an anger woman yesterday, calling a female NYPD cop a "dyke bitch"... (MORE)

Check out the story on Colorado congressional candidate Jared Polis. He is a young businessman financing his first-ever political run by going for an open seat in the U.S. House. He's up against a much more experienced politician, former state Senate president Joan Fitz-Gerald.

Polis was endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin, but gay leaders in Colorado, including Tim Gill, have gone with Fitz-Gerald based on her long record of leadership on gay rights. I'm usually inclined to go with the Victory Fund, supporting any viable gay candidate because it is so critical to get us a place at the table. That usually means opposing a gay-friendly politican, since gays are most likely to be viable in districts that are left-liberal.

But Polis has mucked things up, to my mind, by coming out against Barney Frank's compromise Employment Non-Discrimination Act because it did not include "gender identity." No need to replay that debate here, but suffice it to say that I'd prefer a realistic politician of whatever sexual orientation over a purist who would hold gay rights hostage for a long, long time.

Tags: Jared Polis