Democrats affirm commitment to gay rights

CHARLOTTE — Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

To the 500 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender delegates at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, these colors were more than a rainbow — they represented the hope President Barack Obama promised in 2008 coming to fruition.

“The president of the United States of America, the leader of the free world, declared his solidarity with the LGBT community,” Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said at a press conference following the North Carolina delegate breakfast Thursday morning.

“He has recognized the need for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and that changes the ball game,” he said.

Kleinschmidt, the fifth openly gay elected official in North Carolina, joined the state’s 12 other LGBT delegates in celebrating the addition of marriage equality to the Democratic platform at the standing room only LGBT caucus.

The applause-filled event featured speakers like second lady Jill Biden, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker and Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Their messages reminded the cheering crowd of the progress made in the last four years, including the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, expanded visitation rights for same-sex couples and the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

The crowd’s passionate response to each achievement showcased what Kleinschmidt called an enthusiasm gap that surged after North Carolina’s May passage of Amendment One, which placed a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

“When you hear people talk about LGBT equality, they talk about how we love just like anyone else would love,” he said.

“If you go out there trying to trade on hate, I don’t think the people of North Carolina are going to buy it. You’re going to be setting up shop without any customers.”

Booker, who also gave a fiery speech on the convention floor Tuesday night, fired up the crowd by adapting a Langston Hughes poem.

“Oh, let America be America again,” he quoted. “The land that never has been yet. The land where everyone is free: The poor man, the Indian, the Negro and the LGBT.”

For retired U.S. Army Col. Jimmie Riggins, a delegate from Fayetteville, N.C., Booker’s remarks perfectly described the Democratic Party’s mission this November.

“This is an election that’s not about moving to the left or moving to the right but about moving toward truth,” he said.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. said that the arc of the moral universe is long but moves toward justice, and it’s the people in this room who helped bend that arc.”

Kleinschmidt, who admitted he has wanted to be a delegate since he was in middle school, said it’s been hard to believe the camaraderie he’s felt at the convention.

“Even though there’s no alcohol inside the area, you almost feel drunk with excitement,” he said.

“I’ve been flying high this entire time,” he said. “President Obama has amplified the enthusiasm for not just a recognition of marriage equality but for a full platform of progressive issues.”

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.