Gay and Lesbian Delegates at the Democratic National Convention
Thursday August 28, 2008
As I watched the Democratic National Convention last night, an interesting statistic flashed, perhaps appropriately, under Wolf Blitzer's head. It read: "Gays and Lesbians make up 12 percent of the Democratic delegates at the DNC. 250 in total." 12 percent or 250 delegates at the DNC were gay or lesbian? I knew that our out politicians were spread throughout the country in local, state and federal positions; but I was still surprised at the spread of gay and lesbian delegates at the convention.
Where did they come from, I asked? Perhaps a silly question, but there may be a reason why gays and lesbians have a significant presence at the convention this year. According to the 2008 DNC Rules Inclusion Programs, state Democratic Parties were required to "adopt and implement Inclusion Programs in order for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and for people with disabilities to achieve their full participation in the delegate selection process."
A result of 12 percent LGBT representation doesn't quite seem like "full" participation to me, but I'll take it. After all, the percentage definitely rises above the widely accepted gay and lesbian population standard of 10 percent and over more recent estimates of 5 percent. The number of delegates is staggering, given that in past years it's felt like we had very little representation at all. The percentage reports low when I think of what it could be and the political hurdles to come. Nonetheless, we are there, in Washington, out and representing.
Thus far, many DNC speakers, including former president Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and out DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias, have included remarks about the need for equality for gay Americans.
As November clicks near, here's a recap of where the 2008 presidential candidates stand on LGBT issues:
Barack Obama on Gay Issues
Joe Biden on Gay Issues
John McCain on Gay Issues
And here are a couple of the gay politicians representing their districts, states and LGBT people in Washington:
Jason Bartlett, the highest ranking gay African-American politician.
Barney Frank, founder of the National Stonewall Democrats.
Sam Adams, Portland's first gay mayor.
Daniel J. O' Donnell, Rosie's gay brother.
Lawrence Webb, the first gay African-American official elected in Virginia.
Image © Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.
Comments
Okay, so you’re a writer, not a mathematician. But you do need to check your math. Yes, one in ten also equals 10%. But one in twenty does not equal 20%, it equals 5%. And here for a minute (until I clicked the link) I thought my chances of finding Mr. Right had just doubled!
Ah, you’re right. Thank goodness our great Gay Life readers are more mathematically inclined!
You write, “A result of 12 percent LGBT representation doesn’t quite seem like ‘full’ participation to me, but I’ll take it … “The percentage reports low when I think of what it could be and the political hurdles to come.”
I find this statement curious. At 5-10% of the population, we represent a minority and yet at the DNC we are, in terms of numbers, slightly over-represented. That reads to me like a pretty clear definition of “full inclusion.”
What is the standard of full inclusion as you think it could be, or even should be? 20%, 30%, perhaps a majority of 51% would do it?
I’m not trying to be a b%tch here, but I sometimes sense that we, and indeed other minority groups, forget that we live in a pluralistic society based in part on the protection of the rights of minority voices; but not to the point of negating the majority voice. A representative democracy is precisely that: representative, of every member voice. We may very well want our voice to be included beyond all fair measure of our our numbers, and have our voice represented more than its fair share too. But our nominee is about authentic inclusion, reflective of Americas real diversity, and our representation at the DNC reflects this. I for one offer them an unqualified hats off.
-AK Spencer
Oregon