Only having one party to work through is not working. By doing so we are stuck having to acept whatever crumbs fall from the political table of expediency.

Our president & congress might be more forthcoming with support for gay marriage if they knew they had to compete for our support & money, and could no longer take our vote for granted.

Personally, no party owns my vote. It goes to whomever serves my personal interests. I gave up the straigh ticket voting once I reached an age critical thinking.

Something also to consider. The Virginia state Senate is in grave danger of being taken over by the Republicans this time around, who will surely lurch WAY to the right, into the dark ages like other state legislatures in the south, controlled entirely by the GOP have. It doesn’t matter that Mr. Forrest is gay, he will take a crucial Democratic seat from a long term powerful Democratic Senator, and with him or not, that could turn the senate over to the GOP, who then will decide the agenda and what votes are put to the floor. Losing Senator Howell’s seat, which is usually a safe Dem seat, would be a devastating blow to the Democratic party in the state, and could be the final straw in giving the Senate back to the Republicans. The Republicans, especially in Virginia, have a long record of gay-hate and oppressive anti-gay policies, all of which Howell has opposed and voted against. Check her record, she has a flawless human rights record. Forrest may also oppose them, but you hand a strong Dem seat to a Republican, and if we lose a couple more vulnerable seats, it won’t matter that he supports gay rights, when a right wing fringe, tea-party controlled senate is against them. We’re already in enough scary territory in this state with gay-hating buffoons like Ken Cuccinelli and Gov. McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bolling, and some real haters in both the House of Delegates and the state senate. At present, the House of Delegates is already GOP controlled, and look at the records of some of the tea partiers in the south of the state, SCARY. If we lose Howell’s seat, and a couple others, we will have Republican control of both houses of the Virginia legislature, our AG, our Lt. Gov.,and our governor, and think how well things will go for human rights, or gay rights then. If you have any doubts, check out what they other state legislatures controlled entirely by the Republicans have been up to of late, taking away abortion rights, oppressive anti-gay policies, right to work (anti-union) legislation, voter suppression laws, all the good stuff they love.

Forrest doesn’t guarantee a voice for gay rights in the Virginia senate, but Howell, who has a proven record of standing up for LGBT, has already been there for 22 years, standing up. Just as he should not be judged for the sex of his partner, nor should Howell be judged for the sex of hers. What his election does threaten, is a total GOP sweep of our state. I would never not vote for someone because he or she is gay, but I would also never vote FOR someone, BECAUSE he or she is gay. My vote is with the candidate, who has a long, strong human rights track record, and with the party who stands up against the hate, perhaps a little tepidly at times, but some resistance is better than completely embracing and perpetuating the oppression. Straight, suburban housefrau and strong LGBT ally here, and that’s how I see it.

WHOOA! I am equally incensed by the statements, BUT the person who made them was NOT Janet Howell or anyone on her campaign staff. The person who ran her mouth inappropriately was speaking for herself, for whatever reasons, in whatever inebriated state she was enjoying. THAT PERSON IS NOT RUNNING FOR SENATE.

Janet Howell has been endorsed by Equality Virginia because of many years of work on issues of importance to the LGBTQ community. READ Howell’s Washington Post endorsement at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/endorsements-for-the-virginia- senate/2011/10/18/gIQAjZFIwL_story_1.html SEE District 32.
READ Howell’s website: http://www.janethowell.com/ and review her voting record.

Patrick Forrest? He sounds like an enthusiastic candidate for the Virginia Senate who would serve with spirit (and hopefully try to leave the “defensive chip” behind). We agree 100% that people need to learn to stay out of others’ bedrooms and that sexual preferences should be irrelevant to job performance.

Forrest would undoubtedly be committed to LGBTQ issues as well as to unrealistic fiscal conservatism and he seems to be determined to champion other issues. ***But he would be unlikely to survive more than one term in Richmond.*** Even the Log Cabin folks couldn’t save him from his party colleagues when he doesn’t vote in Republican lock-step!

We have known Janet Howell and have voted for her for years because she cares about all people equally and has championed many issues important to the LGBTQ community (as both the Blade and WaPo point out) and the WHOLE community. Her effectiveness is enhanced by her many influential committee assignments in the Senate. She’s fair and honest and wouldn’t waste time with dirty tricks/rumors against Forrest because of his orientation.

EVERYONE IN DISTRICT 32 SHOULD VOTE FOR HOWELL because Virginia needs her to sustain balance and reason in Richmond and she has the power to get results.

Ann H. Csonka & John M. De Noyer

I stand today to give voice to our community’s highest values and to invest in our highest priorities. Vote on Tuesday, November 8.

A. Will Radle, Jr.
Independent Candidate for Chairman,
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
FairfaxAdvocates@gmail.com
http://YouTube.com/WillRadle1

And of course I read the Blade article (btw, there is an angry Blade op-ed rant now, also.) The Imarti woman was inebriated at a party in her own home. The guy who secretly recorded seemed to be leading her, or **baiting her, with his questions**. (If I had better equipment, I could hear him better.)

Imarti is NOT with the Howell campaign staff. She may have done her own gay-baiting somewhere, and apparently she IS a Democrat, but individuals are entitled to their opinions. If any of the Dem organizers happen to see this: PLEASE do not engage folks with their own extreme views.
I generally agree with: VAGAY October 18, 2011 at 10:44 am and John Bartlett October 20, 2011 at 1:10 pm.

It is not right and not responsible for the Log Cabin fellas and candidate Forrest to expand and exaggerate to the extent that they are.

If people are truly concerned with the candidates’ positions on ISSUES, then skip the quibbling and back’n’forth about a poor recording and implausible accusation. Instead, research voter guides, read the candidate websites, review candidate qualifications, review voting records (Howell), and THINK which candidate would be the most effective working on issues you care about.