Fund holds boot camp here for gay politicians
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As a gay man running for City Council in Houston, which already has a lesbian mayor, Josh Verde figured that he would have no trouble talking to voters about his sexuality. Then he came to Pittsburgh, to a boot camp for openly gay candidates, and promptly flubbed his lines.
"I have a boyfriend," Mr. Verde announced during a mock interview with a campaign consultant posing as a reporter. Instantly, he regretted the words. "It sounded like high school," he said later, amending his language to say, "I'm in a relationship."
Mr. Verde, 31, a law student and aviation consultant, was one of roughly three dozen openly gay aspiring politicians who spent last weekend in a Pittsburgh hotel conference room for a crash course in campaign strategy. Run by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which works to elect gay men and lesbians from both parties to public office, the three-day session offered stark evidence of how far gay politicians have come, and how quickly.
Thirty-five years after Harvey Milk captured America's attention in San Francisco as an openly gay politician, dramatic shifts in public opinion are prompting gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people to seek, and win, public office as never before. The trend has produced all sorts of questions for gay candidates such as Mr. Verde who feel comfortable talking about their sexuality -- and want voters to feel comfortable with it, too.
Here in Pittsburgh, where trainees included one mini-celebrity -- Daniel Hernandez, 21, the congressional intern who helped save the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords when she was shot in Arizona -- a team of strategists schooled the participants in the nuts and bolts of running for office, including developing a message and hiring staff.
First Published June 11, 2011 12:00 am
