Editors’
note:
Visit
washingtonblade.com
on
Aug.
9
and
10
for
complete
coverage
of
the
forum.
The
Blade’s
deadlines
will
prevent
coverage
from
being
included
in
the
Aug.
10
print
edition.
Seven
leading
Democratic
presidential
candidates
will
face
questions
next
week
during
a
90-minute
forum
dedicated
to
gay
topics
that
is
generating
excitement
—
and
criticism
—
among
gay
observers.
Online
visitors
have
submitted
more
than
3,000
questions
via
the
Human
Rights
Campaign
web
site
for
the
Aug.
9
forum
jointly
presented
by
the
Logo
TV
network
and
HRC.
None
of
the
questions
have
been
publicly
revealed.
“The
purpose
of
this
forum
is
not
to
provide
gotcha
moments,
because
that
doesn’t
serve
anybody
well,”
said
Jonathan
Capehart,
a
gay
Washington
Post
editorial
page
writer
who
will
serve
as
a
panelist
for
the
forum.
“But
you
do
want
to
get
the
candidates
talking
about
these
issues
in
a
way
that’s
human
and
not
overly
rehearsed.”
It’s
also
unclear
how
many
questions
will
be
asked
during
the
90-minute
forum,
titled
“The
Visible
Vote
’08:
A
Presidential
Forum.”
The
program
begins
at
9
p.m.
EST
and
airs
live
on
Logo
and
online
at
visiblevote08.com.
Officials
at
HRC
and
Logo
have
said
only
that
issues
important
to
gay
Americans
will
be
discussed.
“We’re
getting
amazing,
amazing
question
suggestions,”
said
Steven
Fisher,
Logo’s
vice
president
for
communications
and
public
affairs.
“I
think
it’s
going
to
be
a
great
night.”
The
program
includes
all
leading
Democratic
contenders
except
Sen.
Joe
Biden
of
Delaware,
who
has
told
organizers
he
has
a
scheduling
conflict.
Those
confirmed
for
the
event
are:
Sens.
Hillary
Rodham
Clinton
(N.Y.),
Barack
Obama
(Ill.)
and
Chris
Dodd
(Conn.);
Rep.
Dennis
Kucinich
(Ohio);
former
Sens.
John
Edwards
(N.C.)
and
Mike
Gravel
(Ala.);
and
Gov.
Bill
Richardson
(N.M.).
Candidates
will
appear
sequentially,
each
talking
with
a
group
of
panelists
that
includes
Capehart,
HRC
President
Joe
Solmonese,
and
lesbian
singer
Melissa
Etheridge.
Margaret
Carlson,
a
Bloomberg
News
columnist,
who
is
straight,
will
moderate
the
forum.
Other
details,
such
as
the
order
of
panelist
questioning
or
whether
each
candidate
will
receive
equal
time,
have
not
been
determined.
“The
format’s
a
work-in-progress
until
the
day
of,”
Fisher
said.
“It’s
evolving.”
Some
details,
however,
have
been
purposely
concealed.
Questions
for
the
candidates
are
so
closely
guarded
that
HRC
has
declined
to
release
any
of
the
3,000
queries
it’s
received.
Capehart
also
declined
to
provide
a
sample
question,
but
said
many
topic
areas
have
been
culled
from
headlines.
“There’s
questions
that
just
have
to
be
asked,
and
anybody
who’s
remotely
paying
attention
to
issues
facing
the
LGBT
community
knows
what
those
topic
areas
are,”
he
said.
“It’s
gays
in
the
military,
it’s
questions
on
gay
marriage,
it’s
health
care
questions
and
equal
opportunity
questions
and
all
those
things
that
are
written
about
and
discussed
and
debated
in
the
Blade
and
the
blogs
and
other
places.”
Carlson
did
not
respond
to
a
Blade
interview
request.
Etheridge
was
not
available
for
an
interview.
Solmonese
said
many
of
his
questions
would
be
drawn
from
public
submissions.
“As
a
group
here
in
the
office,
we’ve
started
to
go
over
them,”
he
said.
“I’m
incredibly
impressed
with
the
interest
the
community
has
shown
and
the
thought
that
has
gone
into
the
questions
that
people
have
put
forward.”
Solmonese
said
the
questions
he’s
likely
to
choose
are
those
that
ask
candidates
to
explain
their
thoughts,
work
or
accomplishments
on
gay
issues.
“I’m
looking
for
more
of
a
way
forward,
more
of
the
thinking
that
goes
behind
a
policy
decision
that
one
of
these
candidates
have
arrived
at,”
he
said.
“I’m
looking
maybe
to
prod
a
little
bit
as
to
if
this
person
were
to
become
president,
how
would
these
things
be
done.”
The
program,
which
is
slated
to
air
without
commercial
breaks,
includes
a
planned
90-minute
forum
followed
by
audience
reactions.
Jason
Bellini,
the
gay
anchor
of
CBS
News
on
Logo,
will
host
the
later
segment.
Program
criticized
But
while
interest
in
Logo’s
first
live
program
is
running
high
among
many
gays
—
giving
rise
to
viewing
parties
organized
separately
by
both
HRC
and
the
Clinton
campaign
—
the
event
has
drawn
some
criticism.
Sara
Whitman,
a
lesbian
syndicated
columnist,
said
the
program
lacks
“heavyweight
political
seriousness.”
“Don’t
get
me
wrong,
I
love
Melissa,”
Whitman
wrote
in
a
column
published
last
month.
“But
asking
Melissa
Etheridge
to
moderate
a
serious
political
discussion
is
like
asking
me
to
sing
‘Yes,
I
Am’
in
concert.”
Longtime
gay
activist
and
Sirius
radio
talk
show
host
Michelangelo
Signorile
echoed
Whitman’s
concerns.
“Not
that
I
don’t
love
Melissa
Etheridge,
but
this
would
be
equivalent
to
the
black
debate
being
moderated
by
Aretha
Franklin
and
the
head
of
the
NAACP,
rather
than
by
objective
reporters,”
Signorile
wrote
on
his
blog.
Gay
author
and
commentator
Andrew
Sullivan
also
opined
against
Etheridge’s
inclusion,
dismissing
her
as
a
“rich
rock
star”
whose
panel
seat
could
go
to
someone
more
qualified
to
grill
the
candidates.
Fisher
defended
Logo’s
move
to
include
the
singer
among
the
forum’s
panelists.
“Melissa
Etheridge
is
a
cultural
icon
for
LGBT
Americans
and
is
a
passionate
advocate,
as
well
as
somebody
who
can
speak
to
many
of
the
issues
we
face
culturally
and
personally,”
he
said.
“And
we
certainly
hope
as
well
that
she
can
help
attract
a
larger
audience.”
Solmonese
said
the
panel’s
three
members
represent
different
audience
interests.
“Some
critics
aside,
I
think
the
decision
to
have
me
put
forward
questions
from
HRC
seems
like
a
logical
one,”
he
said.
“And
the
decision
to
have
Melissa
Etheridge,
someone
who
is
out
and
speaking
to
a
completely
different
group
of
LGBT
Americans
and
talk
to
them
about
a
completely
different
life
experience
than
I
might,
is
really
a
welcome
choice
by
Logo.”
Solmonese
said
all
three
panelists,
along
with
the
moderator,
would
strive
“to
do
the
best
we
can”
and
make
the
program
as
informative
as
possible.
“To
the
extent
that
we
can,
we
hope
...
