Melisssa Etheridge for President

Did you watch the presidential forum on Logo the other night?

Barack Obama seemed ok with the gays. I’m impressed how he talks about our issues with all audiences, not just friendly ones. Yet, somehow he can’t get it through his head that civil unions and marriage are not equal and that by creating them, we create a second-class of citizens.

John Edwards is still against gay marriage, but he does support gay adoption and teaching kids about homosexuality in the schools. Lipstick and I saw his wife Elizabeth speak at the gay pride event in San Francisco. Frankly, I think she’d make a better candidate. And, she’s all for gay marriage.

Dennis Kucinich is so sweet. Don’t you just wish he could be president and wrap the whole world in a big hug? Why doesn’t our community support him more? He is right with us on all our issues, he wants to end the war and he even wants to legalize medical marijuana. The media is trying to characterize him as being too far left, but I think he said it best when he said he is in the center of America. Hell, he believes in everything me, my friends and family do. He's from Ohio for for Christsake's! You can't get more middle American than that.

It was my first time seeing Mike Gravel. He had to fight to even get on the platform. So I guess his message to us, applies to himself too: “No one is going to give you anything. You have to stand up for your rights.” But he did seem to be in la-la land when he stated that he thought if we put gay marriage up to a popular vote, it would pass. Umm, where was he during the 2004 elections?

Bill Richardson, of course was the story of the night. I loved how he kept telling us to “look at his record,” but then he admitted he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act. But his real blunder was when Melissa Etheridge asked him if he thought homosexuality was a choice and he said, “It’s a choice.” Yikes. There goes his support from the gay community.

Hillary Clinton sure impressed the gays. They were salivating over her in the post show commentary. But she didn’t win me over. Sure, she looked more presidential than the other candidates, but her assertion that we should let the states have jurisdiction over marriage. Come, on Hillary! When 45 states passed anti-gay marriage ballots in the past few years.

But there was one person who impressed me. Melissa Etheridge. She had great questions for the candidates. Well, except for that Bark Beetle comment to Bill Richardson. Perhaps she was trying to get him to stop putting his foot in his mouth. She was eloquent, political and wasn’t afraid to take Hillary Clinton to task. Check her out. Let’s start an internet petition. Melissa Etheridge 2008.