Holding Out For A Hero.

I had the honor of meeting (fellow Leo) Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) this week. Everyone, including Time magazine, Meet the Press, and Oprah are asking him if he's going to be our next president. We should be so lucky. The gentleman from Illinois was in Denver to sign his new book, The Audacity of Hope.

My pal Jan went to the ever-amazing Tattered Cover early on Tuesday morning to get in line for free tickets to Senator Obama's book signing. Jan, the ever-dedicated-democrat, waited in line for hours and got ticket #273. They were only giving out 300 tickets, so we lucked out. I joined her at noon and spent the lunch hour with Jan, in line with 500 of our closest friends. We were not in the same room as the book signing-- the line serpentined through the second floor of the historic Tattered Cover.

The social structure of lines is fascinating to me. Truth be told, Jan and I can have fun where ever we are. But a captive audience is even more fun for us. We chatted up our neighbors in line, talking about politics and ballot initiatives. Within minutes we knew the names of the people standing around us. I even had business cards from two of them asking for me to send them some information on my "how to vote" views and those of scary-smart people like my buddy Pat. People in line share so many similar interests with you. And, well, you're waiting together. And probably more than just physically together.

Jan told me of a conversation she overheard between a Tattered Cover employee and a woman who bought Obama's book at a deep discount at Costco. Jan was so proud of the employee that explained to this woman, and anyone else who would listen, that is costs money to put on events like this, and talked more about the hidden value we get from shopping at the Tattered Cover. Jan thanked every Tattered Cover employee we saw for hosting the book signing- an important lesson on local economics.

There was electricity in the air when Senator Obama arrived. The crowd cheered and applauded. I got chills. Jan beamed when I whispered to her that this is how we should feel about our leaders. And our heros. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper introduced the Senator. The Senator spoke for just five minutes and it energized me all week.

Obama explained his view that it's easy to be cynical-- what's risky is to be hopeful. He invited us to be hopeful with him about things like health insurance, our planet, our jobs, education, war, and diplomacy. Senator Obama reminded us that the characters on the cable news programs do not represent us as a people, and that's not where we should direct our questions or our energy. Everyone is "entitled to their own opinion, but people are not entitled to their own facts." He described this book as a "framework for disagreeing without being disagreeable" and hoped that "we can make progress and still have conflict." What a great definition of democracy.

But that's not what we heard from Defense Secretary Rumsfeld today. He was pretty disagreeable, telling reporters to "back off" and "relax" when they questioned him on a timeline for Iraq. With October 2006 trending to be the deadliest month for US soldiers, we can't relax anymore. Relax during wartime? Of course, Rummy wrote off the passion of these reporters as election season ploys to make him and his coworkers look bad. Do they really need help with that?

History Repeating.

Fall 1992. A time of great change in our country. A democratic presidential ticket that not only had great promise, but also one who talked to the GLBT community as equals and demanded they be treated fairly. Fair and equal. Simple, right?

I had just moved to Colorado from New York and was at a B-52’s concert at McNichols Arena with some new pals of mine. From the stage Fred Schneider reminded everyone to vote “no on 2” and there was a mild amount of applause. I remember having the conversation with my new friends about how deeply discriminatory Amendment 2 was. The audience shrugged it off with a luke-warm response, and the consensus seemed to be a combination of optimism and complacency: “don’t worry, it won’t happen.” We all know how Election Day 1992 ended up. Afterwards, a group of very courageous people spent lots of time and energy to bring us to the ruling from the United States Supreme Court, striking down that amendment in favor of fairness and equality.

Fall 2006. A time of great opportunity in our country. An opportunity for the Democratic Party to regain control of both houses of Congress. Here in Colorado, a democratic gubernatorial ticket, not only with great promise, but also one who talks with the GLBT community as equals. I met Bill Ritter many years ago at AIDS Walk Colorado, as he greeted volunteers prior to walking with his family. He gets it. Fair and equal.

This November 7, we as a voting public have a tremendous opportunity to change history. Well, ok, we have a chance to change history every time we vote, but this year is especially important. Referendum I provides committed same-sex couples with basic, common-sense legal protections and responsibilities, including the right to visit a partner in the hospital, make decisions for an incapacitated partner, make funeral arrangements, direct nursing home care and secure basic property and inheritance rights. Not marriage. Just fair and equal. In my view, this gets same-sex couples to a nearly level playing field with our fellow tax-paying citizens. This is a huge step in the right direction. But I fear that many are not in step with this important opportunity to change our world.

On a recent Sunday afternoon I was out with 300 of my closest friends at that popular bar named for a pair of jeans. No B-52’s music, but there was a Sylvester video making us all “feel mighty real.” A friend and I were checking to see how people felt about Referendum I. While this was very unscientific, about half of those we talked to strongly supported Referendum I. I t was particularly eye-opening, however, to learn how many people “don’t get involved in politics” or are “tired of the whole marriage thing.” My pal and I persuasively worked to shift complacency and make sure these people understand how important Referendum I is for same sex couples. Fair and equal. Simple. Remember what it felt like reading about Amendment 2? Let’s not let complacency get the best of us again and hope that someone else will fight for our rights.

As chair of the board of directors for Colorado AIDS Project (CAP), I am proud that our board officially endorsed Referendum I. The mission of Colorado AIDS Project is to improve lives affected by HIV and AIDS and to prevent HIV infection. We are committed to playing a role in public policy when it impacts our agency’s mission and Referendum I does. It provides rights around hospital and medical care as well as basic arrangements for property after death. The board meeting at which we voted to endorse this referendum was one filled with spirited dialogue from both straight and gay board members. We were unanimous in our support and proud to take this stand on behalf of our stakeholders.

Please join us and show your support for Referendum I. Talk to one family member, one coworker, one neighbor and make sure they understand why this is important to you. We’ve learned where complacency gets us, not only from Amendment 2, but also when it comes to safer sex and HIV. Don’t let complacency make you think you don’t have to worry -- about either issue.


Note: A less partisan version of this post will appear in the 11/1/06 edition of Out Front Colorado. I don't want to break any 501(c)3 rules.

Money For Nothing.

I don't feel good about "Gay American" Jim McGreevey. I also don't feel good about how much we have in common. He and I are both Gay Americans. He was born eight years before me, almost to the day, both under the Leo sign. We were both born on the east coast, although he was born on the other side of the river, in Jersey City. And we're both Democrats. (insert heavy sigh here) Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey will be here in Denver at the amazing Tattered Cover Book Store to sign his new book, The Confession. I remember first hearing about McGreevey's coming out. I was in Seattle for work and I immediately called my well-connected political dad in New Jersey and I'll never forget what he told me: "Even I thought he was gay." To this day it still makes me laugh.

Like my dad, David Letterman has made me laugh for a long time. This one is too good not to share:

David Letterman's Top 10 Chapter Titles For James McGreevey's The Confession:

10. The Day I Got Caught Governing Myself
9. How To Pretend To Like Girls For 47 Years
8. From Schwarzenegger-Pataki: Governors I'd Like To Oil Up
7. Another Confession - I Can't Resist Entenmann's Pound Cake!
6. At First I Thought I Was Bipartisan
5. The Jersey Budget Crisis - What Would Judy Garland Do?
4. A Look At The Governor's Balls
3. Politicians Who Left A Bad Taste In My Mouth
2. How To Push Through A Bill - Or A Steve Or A Larry
1. Why I Don't Like Bush

Not funny was how this happened. McGreevey was not straight with the public in many ways. His "pay to play" tenure as the Garden State's Governor is conduct unbecoming of a democrat. An extra marital affair and/or being gay are the last reasons he should have tendered his resignation. It disappoints me that a crooked politician has been turned into a gay hero. Well, at least he can write a book about it. And it's a best seller- #17 on the New York Times Best Seller List.

"Money For Nothing." I want my MTV.