Call it an embarrassment of riches. The upcoming Human Rights Campaign conference and dinner this weekend in Washington has both Vice President Joe Biden and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton on its docket. And it’s hardly an accident. Both politicians have a large base of fans and supporters within the LGBT community, and the HRC is one of the prominent gay groups in the country.
The HRC has called Clinton a “tireless champion” for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people across the globe. And it’s easy to point to a 2011 speech in Geneva for International Human Rights Day, in which the former secretary of state proclaimed, “gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” While such sound bites are provocative and gained the candidate some valuable tire tread, she has actually gone the extra mile to openly court the gay vote.
You might remember that in the video she released when she launched her campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, she featured several same-sex couples—both gay and lesbian—among her portrait of supporters. She has repeatedly raised LGBT discrimination issues at town hall meetings, linking her platform with our platform irreversibly. And when the Supreme Court ruled for gay marriage, her campaign immediately changed its logo to a rainbow-colored H.
In turn, those of us who are politically active in the LGBT community have stumbled over ourselves to offer Clinton our financial support, continuing in lock-step with the enormous funds raised previously for the Obama campaign. Currently, her hope chest stands at $30 million and will only grow larger as the campaign kicks into high gear.
Clinton speaks at a morning meeting on Saturday of the HRC’s board and staff. Her audience will number 800. Yet, as impressive as that sounds, she playing opening act to the vice president who will address those same 800 and an additional 2,000 guests at a star-studded dinner that evening.
Clinton won’t be on stage for that bash, but it won’t be a barren dais. Biden will be joined on stage by actresses Allison Janney (Mom) and Ellen Page (X Men), along with Jason Collins, who was the NBA’s first openly gay player.
There are those that suggest that this is Biden’s effort to solidify his LGBT base of support for his yet-undeclared presidential candidacy. No one can argue that Biden hasn’t been true to our community. Lest you forget, it was Joe Biden who became the highest elected official to support same-sex marriage in 2012 when he said he was absolutely comfortable with…men marrying men, women marrying women” on CBS’ Meet the Press. That move is credited with encouraging President Obama to step forward and endorse gay marriage a few days later.
For the HRC, the appearance of Biden is a long-overdue treat. The vice-president was force to cancel his keynote address at the same dinner two years ago because of the Republican enforced government shutdown. In announcing Biden’s appearance, HRC president Chad Griffin said, “Vice President Biden has stood up for the rights of all Americans to live their lives free from discrimination and fear throughout his remarkable career.”
That career at the moment is on virtual hold for the lame-duck vice president. Biden has made it clear that he has not decided whether to run as the Democratic candidate for President in 2016. Much of the reluctance is credited to his continued mourning at the death of his son Beau from brain cancer last May. A smaller, but important, reason for his hesitation is financial. Half a year into the campaign process, many Democratic supporters has already committed to Clinton.
“Every single Clinton supporter I have spoken with about this question remains firmly committed and dedicated to her campaign,” said Dana Perlman, a former Human Rights Campaign board member who raised more than $500,000 for Obama in 2012. Added Christine Quinn, New York’s first openly gay city council speaker, “You can’t shake our support for Hillary.”
Biden must make a commitment one way or the other before October 13, when the first Democratic debate takes place on CNN. Either way, for the LGBT community, it is an embarrassment of riches—long overdue.
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