|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
Commercial Closet: Democrats Follow Corps In Targeting Gays
by Michael Wilkie 2004-11-10
|
|
This article shared 2543 times since Wed Nov 10, 2004
|
|
Gay issues were debated like never before and so were gay voters in the election.
Echoing the growing interest of corporations in the gay market, the Democratic National Committee courted the gay vote nationally for the first time with hopes of growing their part of the vote. According to CNN exit polls, gay, lesbian and bisexual voters represented 4% of the vote in 2000 and this year ?% in this year's primaries).
Although gays have already historically voted more Democratic than Republican, DNC director of specialty press Brian Richardson was looking to tilt the odds further in the November election. 'In 2000, one million GLBT voters cast their ballots for Bush,' Richardson says. The advertising plan was 'to reach out to those one million voters, as well as countless GLBT Americans who don't usually vote.'
The DNC advertised in every issue of The Advocate since April 2003 with messages such as, 'One out of three gay couples has children … . Republicans believe they should be taken away' and 'Their Attorney General: John Ashcroft. Our Attorney General: Janet Reno.'
'The GLBT community is an integral part of the Democratic Party,' declares Richardson, calling the DNC ad campaign 'the largest (GLBT) outreach program ever by a major political party.'
Still, 23% of the gay community supported George Bush—nearly the same as in 2000, at 25%—despite his support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. However, Kerry picked up an additional 7% of gay votes over Al Gore, some gained from Ralph Nader defectors.
Back in 2001, the DNC ran its first ad—a full-page listing reasons why gay voters should vote Democrat. DNC treasurer and GLBT community leader Andy Tobias first came up with the idea to target gays, Richardson explains. 'Those ads are part of a larger ad campaign to the GLBT community, which also includes placing ads in local GLBT publications and on GLBT Web sites.'
Still, while the DNC consistently placed ads in the bi-monthly Advocate for well over a year, the ads never took up more than a third of a page. 'We want to advertise in national publications, but still have enough resources to purchase ads in local GLBT papers and online so we can reach the most voters in the most possible ways,' Richardson says.
He reported feedback was strong and the DNC's GLBT outreach Web site 40www.democrats.org/glbt/index.html& 'received a number of phone calls and e-mails from supporters looking to volunteer in their own neighborhoods after they first saw our ads in their local papers.'
The DNC was not afraid of offending the undecided fence-sitters. 'Voters know that we are the party that fights for all Americans and that we believe in an inclusive America,' Richardson says.
Marriage Amendments
Heated Up Advertising
With anti-gay rhetoric high this year, it was not surprising that the Republican National Committee did not follow the DNC's lead to advertise in the GLBT community. The RNC did not respond to repeated calls for comment.
Not missing a beat, anti-gay groups were inserting gay issues into their advertising to affect the presidential race. The Arlington Group, a coalition of evangelical organizations, spent $2 million on newspaper ads in February and March to thank President Bush for his endorsement of the Federal Marriage Amendment.
In October, conservative Gary Bauer began a $500,000 television ad campaign for Americans United to Preserve Marriage, which states John Kerry opposed efforts to stop gay marriage in Massachusetts and ends by asserting, 'John Kerry—too liberal for America.' The ad ran in battleground states Pennsylvania and Michigan, and the Human Rights Campaign says it is the first television political attack ad to use same-sex marriage in the presidential election.
Over the summer, HRC itself invested in an unprecedented amount of print and TV advertising, over $1 million, to sway voters against the Federal Marriage Amendment and similar state amendments in Ohio, Missouri, Oregon and elsewhere. Also fighting the Missouri amendment, the Constitution Defense League ran a television ad in the final days before losing the vote.
The gay organization Log Cabin Republicans, which did not endorse President Bush for the first time this year, ran its own first TV commercial against the marriage amendment featuring Vice President Dick Cheney.
State politics have also used gay issues as hot buttons. Citing support by New York Sen. Charles Schumer and Republican challenger Howard Mills for gay civil unions, Conservative Party candidate Marilyn O'Grady ran a TV spot representing the men together atop a wedding cake. And Colorado Republican Bob Schafer's campaign to defend his U.S. Senate seat from Pete Coors accused him of supporting gays.
Cynically, the DNC's Richardson offered that the RNC was targeting the GLBT community in their ads—but not to win them over. 'Instead of reaching out to GLBT voters, they are using us in a divisive and discriminatory campaign of bigotry.' He adds the DNC 'never takes votes for granted and these ads are one more way we can show GLBT Democrats that this is true.'
(With reporting by Eric Noll.) |
|
|
|
This article shared 2543 times since Wed Nov 10, 2004
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | News is Out, Word In Black, Comcast NBCUniversal welcomes 16 Journalism Fellows to cover Black, LGBTQ+ communities 2024-04-16 - Philadelphia (April 15, 2024) — Today, News is Out and Word In Black, together announced the 16 fellows selected for The Digital Equity Local Voices Lab, a new initiative powered by Comcast NBCUniversal to place journalists ...
|
| | VIEWPOINT Meditation on the killing of journalists 2024-04-11 - Trigger warning: I am a journalist and I read newspapers. I've been reading newspapers since I first learned to read. Newspapers were a lively part of the daily life in my family. I even wrote letters ...
|
| | Coach/activist Tara VanDerveer retires from Stanford after 38 seasons 2024-04-10 - Stanford University women's basketball coach and gender-rights advocate Tara VanDerveer has retired after 38 seasons, media outlets reported. In 45 years as a head coach at Idaho (1978-80), Ohio State ...
|
| | Lightfoot may be hired to investigate Dolton mayor, trustees 2024-04-06 - A group of Dolton trustees is aiming to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfootwho is also an ex-federal prosecutorto investigate Mayor Tiffany Henyard, media outlets reported. The group wants Lightfoot ...
|
| | Windy City Times receives two Lisagor nominations 2024-03-30 - Chicago Headline Club has announced the finalists for its 2023 Peter Lisagor Awards on March 29. Two Windy City Times journalists were among those finalists. The Peter Lisagor Awards, according to Chicago Headline Club's website, "represent ...
|
| | Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill 2024-03-27 - On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margina landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...
|
| | Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama 2024-03-22 - Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...
|
| | Oprah, Niecy Nash-Betts honored at GLAAD Media Awards 2024-03-15 - Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts were honored at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards that took place in Los Angeles at The Beverly Hilton on March 14. Winfrey received the Vanguard Award, introduced by iconic Chicago ...
|
| | UPDATE: Nex Benedict's death ruled a suicide; family responds 2024-03-13 - A medical examiner's report concluded that the cause of death of Oklahoma student Nex Benedict (he/they) was suicide, media reports confirmed. Benedict—a 16-year-old transgender student—died Feb. 8, a day after ...
|
| | State Rep. Kelly Cassidy attacked on social media, allegedly by backers of Burke 2024-02-26 - Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidya supporter of Cook County state's attorney Democratic candidate Clayton Harris IIIposted on social media that a backer of Eileen O'Neill Burke, who's running against Harris ...
|
| | Chicago Bears hire first woman assistant coach 2024-02-21 - The Chicago Bears are hiring Jennifer King as an offensive assistant, according to The Chicago Sun-Times and other media outlets. She will be an assistant running backs coach. Kingwho will become the first female assistant coach ...
|
| | Oprah Winfrey, Niecy Nash-Betts to be honored at the 35 annual GLAAD Media Awards in LA March 14 2024-02-20 --From a press release - Los Angeles, CA -Feb. 20, 2024 - GLAAD announced that global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress and author Oprah Winfrey will receive GLAAD'sVanguard Award and Emmy-winning actress and producer Niecy ...
|
| | GLAAD releases report on LGBTQ+ inclusion in video games 2024-02-19 - LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD has released a report on queer inclusion in the world of video games. Among the key findings in "Gaming: The State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games" is that 17%—nearly one in ...
|
| | Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16 - In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...
|
| | GLAAD finds missed chances for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Super Bowl ads 2024-02-12 --From a press release - Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 — GLAAD is reacting to a lack of LGBTQ storytelling in ads that aired duringSuper Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 and is reminding brands, corporations and advertising agencies why including the LGBTQ ...
| |
|
|
|
|