New York State will send at least 30 LGBT participants, including delegates, alternate delegates and committee members. The convention will be held Aug. 25–28 in Denver.
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By Joelle L. Quartini
Friday, August 01, 2008
A record number of openly LGBT constituents will attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver this month, with participation up 27 percent from 2004.
New York State alone will have 30 LGBT participants at the convention as delegates, alternates and committee members, with participation up from 22 in 2004, according to state Democratic parties. The National Stonewall Democrats said that 358 LGBT Democrats from 48 states will participate in the convention, held Aug. 25–28, though the number has yet to be finalized.
A total of 4,440 delegates are scheduled to attend the convention, 232 of which are from New York.
Many states that aimed to boost gay representation at this year’s convention are falling short of their voluntary goals, according to numbers from the National Stonewall Democrats.
While 47 states and D.C. established the goals for gay delegates, committee members and other participants, fewer than half of the states met the benchmarks through delegates alone.
Stonewall numbers released this week show 21 states and D.C. met their goals based solely on their delegate count. Seven other states met their goals by adding committee members and alternate delegates to their totals.
Three states—Alaska, Arkansas and Mississippi—did not set goals for gay delegates at the convention.
New York State surpassed its inclusion goal of 22 through delegates alone. So far, 23 are slated to attend; 18 are from New York City.
“Many of our brightest elected officials, chapter leaders and party officers began their participation in Democratic politics as delegates to past conventions, and by increasing the number of LGBT participants, we are growing the ranks of future Democratic leaders,” said Jon Hoadley, executive director of National Stonewall Democrats.
“Setting these goals actually requires the states to do LGBT outreach in the community,” said John Marble, communications director for National Stonewall Democrats. “We want to get state parties in the habit of working with the LGBT community.”
At the convention, delegates from around the country will vote on a presidential candidate for nomination, presumptively Sen. Barack Obama, and members will consider a new Democratic Platform, which outlines the party's position on a number of issues.
The LGBT Caucus will also meet for two hours on Monday and Wednesday of the convention, where the 358 attendants will discuss the state of LGBT issues and how delegates can push for progress at the convention and back home.
“We’re going to be using the convention to build support for pro-equality positions among democrats,” Marble said.
Each morning of the convention, delegations from each state have breakfast together to discuss the day's events. Here LGBT delegates will talk with other delegates, committee members and Congress members about issues such as an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Immigration Equality and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and work to pledge support for the issues.
The National Stonewall Democrats hold their own National Convention from August 21–24, which Marble called a “delegate bootcamp” to train participants on how to push for equality and talk to delegates and state leaders about supporting the issues.
The Obama Campaign ran a grassroots initiative in July called Our Platform, during which groups from around the country conducted their own Democratic Platforms and submitted recommendations to the campaign.
Several LGBT groups met in New York to create LGBT-specific platforms, which the committee will consider at the convention in Denver.
Steven Latasa-Nicks, who is gay and a New York outreach director for the Obama campaign, will be at the Convention to represent New York.
As an at-large delegate, he’ll be casting a vote on behalf of New York state for Barack Obama.
He’ll also be taking part in platform meetings and representing the community while mixing amongst the country’s super delegates—Democratic Committee Members or elected officials who hold a greater weight in candidate nomination.
The Obama Campaign has strived to include LGBT representatives from all states, according to Latasa-Nicks, who the state appointed as a delegate after recommendation from the Obama campaign, which was also the case with self-described “political junkie” Howard Hemsley.
“I’m lucky enough to go to the most important convention of my lifetime,” said Hemsley, 70, who will also be attending the convention as an at-large delegate. “My best friend died of AIDS early on and I've been living in this community a long time,” Hemsley said of the perspective he’ll bring to the convention as a gay New Yorker.
The Rules & Bylaws of the Democratic National Committee require all states reach out to LGBT Democrats in the delegate selection process.
Melissa Sklarz, director of The New York Transgender Rights Organization, will be attending the convention as a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee.
“If there’s going to be any major revisions to discuss, I’ll be there as a New Yorker, a member of the LGBT community and a transgender woman,” Sklarz said.
She was nominated by the Hillary Clinton campaign and elected in June by the State Democratic Party. Sklarz will work on the committee that reviews the rules of the Convention.
“For someone who doesn't get paid to do politics, this is pretty exciting,” Sklarz said.
Another community activist, Corey Johnson, was appointed by the Obama Campaign and will also serve on the Rules Committee, where he plans to be a “visible and progressive voice for LGBT New Yorkers.”
Both Sklarz and Johnson will be attending the Stonewall Democrats National Convention.
Additional reporting by Chris Johnson.
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