White House hopefuls seen more attuned to gay issues
By Christina Bellantoni
July 14, 2007

Long-shot Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel of Alaska chided homosexual-rights organizers of an upcoming candidate forum for excluding him.

The Human Rights Campaign says that White House contenders are a more "gay friendly" bunch than in 2004 and that nearly all the Democratic hopefuls plan to attend the homosexual rights group's televised forum next month.

Democrats seeking their party's nod in the 2004 cycle were hesitant to pledge that they would fight for homosexual rights, and Sen. John Kerry drew boos at the Human Rights Campaign's forum in 2003 for his stance on traditional marriage.

Mr. Kerry, of Massachusetts, has said that the marriage protection measure on the ballot that year cost him thousands of votes in Ohio and ultimately his bid to unseat President Bush. the rest