Potential New York Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr—the conservative former Tennessee congressman boasting the lengthy anti-gay record who now says he is pro-gay rights—has been invited to speak next Wednesday at the Stonewall Democratic Club in New York City. Ford is in for a "rude awakening", reports Elizabeth Benjamin at the Daily News.
"I don't think he's aware of what the gay community is like in New York," said Marty Algaze, a veteran of both LGBT and Democratic politics. "He's walking into a lion's den ... A lot of people don't like him, and I have a feeling they're going to be a little hostile," Algaze continued. "This is a good opportunity for the club and the community to hear what he has to say, not just these sound bites he gives on TV. He gets rid of the issue really quick and then changes the subject. It's time for him to be grilled on these issues and see what he really knows." Algaze said Stonewall has reached out to Gillibrand and is trying to set up a time for her to come speak as well. The hope is to announce her scheduled appearance on the same night Ford shows up.
Junior will have a lot of explaining to do. After voting twice for Bush's odious Federal Marriage Amendment, voting against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), voting against needle exchanges, voting against extending hate crime protections to gays and lesbians and voting against gay adoptions, Ford left Congress in 2006 with a "25" (out of 100) rating from the Human Rights Campaign. The former congressman now claims to have supported "civil unions" since he was "elected to Congress in 1996" ... but there is no record of
Ford publicly expressing support for civil unions until after his retirement in 2007.
Gay activists in New York City are already mobilizing a protest against Ford's address, reports OnTopMag. "Seventy people have already accepted a Facebook invitation from New York-based gay rights group The Power to protest Ford's appearance. 'Stop this anti-gay candidate fromrunning for Senate in New York,' the group Crash Harold Ford, Jr.'s Address to Stonewall Democrats NYC says."
I will be RIGHT UP IN THERE watching this chameleon like a hawk. I know that "politics is the 'art of the possible'" but Ford's transparent overture to our local LGBT community is a bit much.
I daresay Ford will try very hard to gloss over critical LGBT issues such as ENDA, DOMA, DADT, and should I say, New York State's own stormy history woth the LGBT community, as evidenced by the "Discrimin-8" Democrats who voted AGAINST gay marriage last December...I hope the Stonewall Dems hold Ford's feet right to the fire, especially in light of his homophobic track record. I will be bringing my patented hypocrisy meter to the meeting next Wednesday.
Posted by: Nathan James | 16 February 2010 at 17:37
Either he was lying before or he's lying now about how he really feels. I still dream of the day when we get an honest politician.
Posted by: Ace | 16 February 2010 at 19:46
Hope everyone that can be there is will be. Would love to read some R2.0 voices from people that can attend.
Posted by: worst_1_yet | 16 February 2010 at 21:35
When Harold Ford was in Tennessee (78% religious) he was against same-sex marriage. Now, in New York (48% religious) he supports same-sex marriage.
Harold Ford didn't change his mind, the POLLS did.
Posted by: AndrewW | 19 February 2010 at 15:41