Gay Support Quick Links

* Queerty has a great post on how the high profile LGBT John Edwards supporters have gravitated to Obama.

* OUT for Democracy lists many high ranking political players who have endorsed Obama.

* The Los Angeles Weekly has an in-depth piece on the gay power brokers behind the Obama campaign.

L.A. Times Endorses Barack Obama!

Breaking News: The Los Angeles Times has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States of America!

"But just because the ballot features two strong candidates does not mean that it is difficult to choose between them. We urge voters to make the most of this historic moment by choosing the Democrat most focused on steering the nation toward constructive change: We strongly endorse Barack Obama."

Congratulations to the Times on making the right decision! The momentum continues to grow in Obama's favor!

The conclusion of the endorsement sums up the entire Clinton vs. Obama debate. For those of you who are still vacillating, listen up:

"In the language of metaphor, Clinton is an essay, solid and reasoned; Obama is a poem, lyric and filled with possibility. Clinton would be a valuable and competent executive, but Obama matches her in substance and adds something that the nation has been missing far too long -- a sense of aspiration."

Openly Gay L.A. Councilmember Endorses Obama

Great News! Bill Rosendahl, the only openly gay city councilman in Los Angeles, has endorsed Barack Obama. Rosendahl said:

"Barack Obama is a leader of uncommon vision, great principle and deep conviction. He has a proven track record of standing up for LGBT civil rights. I am convinced he is the candidate who is most genuinely committed to fighting for our civil rights."

In Rosendahl's endorsement, he provides a long list of examples why Barack is the best candidate for the job:

·Obama supports the repeal of the entire federal Defense of Marriage Act, and has done so ever since he was a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2004.

·Obama has taken stronger positions on dismantling "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and on fully inclusive workplace protections, than any candidate in the presidential race.

·Obama is a strong supporter of every major piece of LGBT legislation in Congress today.

·Obama supports fair tax treatment for gay and lesbian couples.

·Obama supports equal immigration rights for gay and lesbian couples.

·Obama supports domestic partner benefits for federal workers.

·Obama, while in the Illinois Senate, sponsored a fully inclusive anti-discrimination law that included both sexual orientation and gender identity.

·Obama has continued to raise the issue of LGBT civil rights in forums and town halls nationwide. During a high-profile speech on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at King's Ebenezer Baptist Church, he challenged his audience to support gay and lesbian rights with the same fervor they brought to their own struggle for civil rights.

Read the entire endorsement here.

Thank You John Edwards!

Senator John Edwards is a great American and I thank him and his wife Elizabeth for their continued public service. He has been an incredible voice in the fight against poverty and he is a true champion of many causes I firmly believe in. He has taught us about the two Americas and I appreciate his compassion and conviction in his messaging.

For Edwards supporters, my heart does go out to you. I understand all-too-well the pain of your candidate dropping out. In 2004, I put all of my passion, time and energy into supporting Howard Dean and when he suspended his candidacy, I was very sad because I knew that I was going to have to support John Kerry, a man who didn't share my ideology.

I urge you to find solace in the fact that there is a top candidate who shares the values and goals of John Edwards and he will champion bringing the two Americas into one. Barack Obama understands poverty. His mother is from a small town in Kansas and his father grew up in Kenya, a country truly plagued by poverty. His story is truly rags to riches and it can inspire the country to truly deal with poverty.

I respectfully urge Edwards supporters to take a serious look at the candidacy of Barack Obama. With Edwards out of the race, your votes are extremely powerful and you should award your vote to the candidate who shares your ideals and vision and I hope that candidate is Senator Barack Obama.

Adam Rogers Official Endorsement

Substantial Latino Support for Obama

Some media outlets have tried to create a "Black vs. Brown" divide that doesn't appear to exist at all. As much as the media tries to force identity politics down our throats, the reality is that people are voting for the candidate who shares their vision of America, and for a substantial amount of Latinos/as, that candidate is Senator Barack Obama.

We already profiled one influential Latina Congresswoman, but Linda Sanchez is definitely not alone in her Obama support.

This short video shows many powerful Hispanic politicians in California who firmly believe that Barack Obama is the best candidate for the job.

Gay Mention in Obama Acceptance of Kennedy Endorsement

This morning, Senator Edward Kennedy, Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy all proudly endorsed Barack Obama for President at American University in Washington, D.C. In accepting these endorsements, Barack gave yet another incredible speech. Every time he speaks, you can feel the political momentum running up the mountain.

At about 10 minutes into the video, Senator Obama includes the gay community in his speech in an incredibly potent sentence:

"It lives on in those Americans, young and old, rich and poor, Black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight, who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of purpose that we had when John Kennedy was President of the United States of America."

Linda Sanchez Endorses Obama

I am extremely proud to announce that my district's representative, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D - Calif.) has endorsed Barack Obama for President!

I had the tremendous opportunity to intern with Rep. Sanchez a few years ago and she is an incredible person who has a very bright future. She is definitely one of the most outspoken progressive advocates in Congress and she was one of the very few Democratic representatives who did not support ENDA unless it was trans-inclusive.

Interestingly, her sister Loretta, who is also a Congresswoman, is supporting Senator Clinton. Could be smart strategy for the sisters or it could genuinely be a family divided.

Linda's endorsement is one of many that debunks the media-perpetuated theory that Latinos/as will not support Obama.

Here is the official endorsement: