An open letter to HRC… Gravelgate

I couldn’t resist… It seems every political debacle nowadays has a “gate” at the end.

Sara Whitman, a contributor at HuffPo, has her public say on the exclusion of Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) from the Human Rights Campaign & LOGO’s Presidential Forum:

Mr. Solomonese, this is ridiculous and embarrassing. Let Mike Gravel have his two minutes on stage with the rest of the candidates. As a lesbian, an activist and most importantly to you, someone who donates money, I have to say there is not a single reason to keep Gravel from the debate.

He raised his 100K and you said, well, not in time. Stop it. That’s like listening to my kids say, you wanted me to take my laundry upstairs and put it away? If you are only going for electability, then best scratch Richardson, Biden, Dodd, and Kucinich.

Let’s take it one step further. You are having a forum, not debate, with all the heavyweight political seriousness MTV and Melissa Etheridge bring.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Melissa. I want to be Melissa, sing growly songs with my guitar slung over my bare back. But asking Melissa Etheridge to moderate a serious political discussion is like asking me to sing “Yes I Am” in concert.

You should go and read the rest of what Sara has to say. I think I agree with most of what she says.

I’ve pretty much already had my say, although not on such a site as HuffPo.

Oh yeah… don’t forget to contact HRC:

You can contact HRC at hrc@hrc.org.

Sample Letter
Dear HRC,

I am writing to voice my concerns over your decision to create standards which managed to exclude Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) from the Presidential Forum planned by your Foundation and LOGO Network.

Senator Gravel is a candidate who has shown the LGBT community a great amount of support by both his words and his actions. I understand that HRC wishes to have a forum with candidates who are “viable options” for the Presidency, but the current standards managed to exclude just one person. This person happens to have given the LGBT community some of the most support out of all the candidates.

As a member of the LGBT and straight ally community - a group of individuals you say you represent - I urge you to reconsider your standards for participation in the Forum.

Thank You,

[Your Name]

Technorati Tags: Human Rights Campaign, HRC, LOGO, Gay, Election, 2008, Mike Gravel, President, Huffington Post, Sara Whitman

Posted in Democratic Party, LGBT, Media, Politics, United States |