E-mail
Print
RSS
G-bookmarks
Live
TechnoratiWASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidates are confirmed to participate next month in the first-ever presidential forum on issues concerning the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
Hosted by MTV's homosexual cable network, Logo, and sponsored by the nation's largest homosexual activist organization, the Human Rights Campaign, the one-hour event on Aug. 9 will feature Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who will engage in conversation on marriage, hate crimes, HIV/AIDS and other issues.
'“We’re honored to give the presidential candidates a historic opportunity to share their views directly with the LGBT audience,” said Brian Graden, president of Logo, in a released statement.
Conservatives warn that the forum is "clearly a setup" and the gay agenda will come across loud and clear.
The debate will focus solely on homosexuality in front of an audience of gay activists, noted Connie Mackey, senior vice president of Family Research Council Action.
"It's not good politics," she said, according to CitizenLink, a publication of Focus on the Family. "The only positive I see out of it is that if enough Americans actually watch the Democratic candidates answer some of these questions, they're going to understand something about them that they probably have not understood before.
"The questions will be posed in such a way that it looks mean if you're not for it," she added. "So, they'll pose those questions strategically."
According to conservative public policy group Concerned Women for America (CWA), all major presidential candidates have been invited to participate and as of Friday, all Republican presidential candidates have declined.
Clinton and Obama, the two leading Democratic presidential candidates, are the only confirmed candidates. Both have expressed support for the LGBT community and have pushed for equality.
CWA's policy director for Cultural Issues Matt Barber expressed concern Friday, arguing that the debate is designed to "advance the radical homosexual agenda and to promote social and governmental acceptance and celebration of the high-risk and destructive homosexual lifestyle."
"It's disgraceful that our nation's moral standards have now dipped so low that it's considered 'tolerant' to hold a debate organized entirely around the promotion of sexual immorality," Barber commented in a statement.
The forum will be held in Los Angeles at 6 p.m. local time before a studio audience and broadcast live without commercial interruption on Logo's cable television channel and at LOGOonline.com.
Do unto others »
Agree: 
Disagree: 
