Matt said recently that “Republicans don’t like poor people” and after hearing the New Mexico legislative update from HRC, I have a new thought: Democrats don’t like gay people.

Of course I don’t actually believe that all Democrats don’t like gay people.  Heck, many gay people are Democrats!  However, I do wonder if the Democratic party takes the needs of gay and transgender people seriously when making legislative decisions.

In the past months, some Democratic politicians party have:

• Stripped gender identity from the in the US Congress
• Touted, and then tabled, the Matthew Shepard Act would which append sexual orientation and gender identity to existing hate crimes legislation
• Refused to back full equality in their bids for President

And that’s at the national level.  Recently, I talked (with mixed emotion) about the pending domestic partnership legislation in New Mexico.  Today, I read that despite “strong support for this bill” a Democrat controlled Senate tabled the legislation in committee.

As much as President Bush and other prominent Republican leaders may have made deriding gay people and their relationships a national agenda, the Democratic party has done little, if anything, when it comes to policy to change that course.

It was Republicans that helped to vote ENDA out of committee over Democratic objections and it was Republicans such as Teresa Sayward who spoke passionately and bravely for equality in New York state.

I’m not calling myself a Republican, but I’m not unflinchingly backing the Democratic agenda either.  When you take a look at action, they’re not doing much for the queer community.

And yes, I just tagged the actions of a Democrat controlled senate “Anti-Gay Politicians Watch” … If you are a Democrat, contact your local Democratic officials, the Democrats in New Mexico, the major Democratic presidential candidates, and the DNC.  Let them know that you want to be allies together.

(Photo of supporters from HRC Backstory)