Candidate's Approach to Gays

John Edward's campaign recently issued a news release with the names of 25 influential gay people that support him. Most of the people listed are well-respected and famous gay leaders, such as a former advisor to president Bill Clinton and David Mixner. Information on this can be found at this site. Edwards is competing with other prospective democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, among others, for the support of the gay community. Their support is valuable in the upcoming Democratic presidential primaries. Edwards spoke against the “Don’t ask don’t tell” policy, a hot topic among gays, in February- before both Clinton and Obama made their hesitant responses to the media in late March. Hillary has had trouble with this issue because her husband, former president Bill Clinton, was in office when the Pentagon instituted the policy. Senator Clinton recently made an effort to gain support from gays- she told the Human Rights Campaign that she wants a partnership with gays if she is elected president.
Rudy Giuliani, a prospective Republican presidential candidate is also having trouble with his approach to gays. He appeared at the annual political roast 10 years ago dressed in drag, in an SNL skit dressed as a grandmother, and at one point did kicks with the Rockettes wearing fishnets. He did these things as a joke, but the pictures and footage are coming back to haunt him. Many fear that conservatives won’t appreciate his ‘liberal’ jokes. More information on this can be found at this site. A large part of Giuliani’s support comes from his post 9/11 image- tough, serious, and in control, but pictures of him dressed in white gloves and a frilly pink dress could threaten that image. They could remind voters of Giuliani's strong support for gays while he was Mayor of New York (even though the majority of cross-dressers are not gay). In Newyork, he lived with 2 gay roommates after his divorce, marched in gay pride parades, and welcomed the Olympic style gay games to the city. Although he does not support gay marriage, his alliance with the gay community will not be looked upon fondly by the conservative’s strong religious base.
On another note, same sex couples are now able to have “fairy tale weddings” at Disney World and any of the other Walt Disney Co. parks and resorts. The company just changed the policy because they want to “welcome every guest in an inclusive environment”. This wedding package can cost more than $45,000, and can exchange vows in front of Cinderella's castle, Minnie and Mickey mouse in formal wear (!), and ride in Cinderella's coach. More information on this can be found at this site