For the first time in a U.S. presidential campaign a debate was held specifically to discuss issues important to gay voters (e.g., anti-discrimination legislation, same-sex marriage, HIV/AIDS, immigration reform, ending "Don't Ask Don't Tell"). Sponsored by the LOGO cable network and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Visible Vote '08: A Presidential Forum aired the evening of Aug. 9, 2007. Six Democratic candidates participated: Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Mike Gravel; Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich; and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson. Questions were asked by HRC's Joe Solmonese, journalist Jonathan Capeheart and lesbian rock musician Melissa Etheridge. (Republican candidates were offered a similar platform on a different date but none responded.)
Only Kucinich (far right) and Gravel came out in support of same-sex marriage; the others favored civil unions. The one gaffe of the night was when Bill Richardson (near right) said that he believed being gay was a choice. He rescinded (or "clarified") his comment the following day.
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