And now for something completely political

Having gotten all the Lucy Lawless/George Takei fangirl media entertainment writer stuff that I'm actually paid to write about out of the way, time for a trip into the wonkish side of my world.

Those here only for the dogs and the shoes and the Xena may want to move along.

When I heard that George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu on the original Star Trek series and Lucy Lawless of Xena:Warrior Princess and Battlestar Galactica were going to be at the Human Rights Campaign's annual gala here in San Francisco, I was right there with my hand in the air to cover it for AfterElton.com/AfterEllen.com. But fangirl squeeage aside, I was equally excited to see Elizabeth Edwards (pictured, right, with HRC president Joe Solmonese) would be giving the keynote address. Political machinations aside, her statements in support of full marriage equality, as well as her forthrightness and courage regarding her political beliefs and fight against cancer, have made her one of my personal heroes.

Before the dinner started, there was a VIP reception where all the A-gays of the Bay Area -- and many straight LGBT rights supporters -- were mingling in tuxes and fancy dresses, sipping drinks from the open bar and greeting friends. Even though I'm a native San Franciscan, I only recognized a tiny number of them, including San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom -- who, like me, was born here.

I told him that I was a fourth generation native, and like all San Francisco politicians do when you tell them that, he gave me his full attention.  I thanked him for having the courage and vision and simple basic humanity to hand out same sex marriage licenses at San Francisco's City Hall, and said that I just wanted him to know that some "old time" San Franciscans are also queer San Franciscans.

We bonded for a while over our mutual San Franciscan-ness and growing up in the City and when I told him I'd gone to Mercy High, he said, "You're a Mercy girl? That's like a cult." So true. And how amusing to be called a "Mercy girl," possibly for the first time in almost 30 years.

I've already recounted just about every utterance of George Takei and Lucy Lawless, so I'll skip over that and go on to the speeches.

Given that I've practically made  a career of liveblogging in the last few months, I'd brought my laptop with me. But alas, no wi-fi was available in San Francisco's Civic Auditorium.

So I did it anyway, even if it's not exactly "live," but at least this time I've had the chance to clean up the typos and misspelled words in advance. Remember this is a report, not a transcript; only those things in quotation marks are direct quotes. Everything else is a paraphrase or summary.

HRC board member Scott Wiener came on stage and introduced Elizabeth Edwards, saying that public scrutiny of presidential campaigns is brutal, and specifically mentioned the scrutiny of the blogosphere. But now and then there's a candidate and family that can survive even that level of scrutiny with their dignity intact.

Through John Edwards' presidential campaign, Elizabeth Edwards kept her head down and just kept going. "We were all insired by Elizabeth and that husband of hers." Many would have shut down and stopped functioning, for instance when Ann Coulter called her husband a "faggot" and said he should have been killed in a terrorist attack. (Audience hisses when Coulter is mentioned.)

But nothing, he said, gets Elizabeth down. "Calling into a TV show and telling Ann Coulter it's time to settle down and close that vile mouth of hers," "Elizabeth is full steam ahead."

Elizabeth and John are a perfect team. Both have a passion for fairness. Both believe in expanding health care to  every single person in this country. Not just talking about it – actually getting it done with a concrete plan. Willing to talk about poverty and what we need to do to addresss it. And to talk frankly about our community – hate crimes bill, employment non-discrimination act, LGBT adoption. And to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and Don't Ask, Don't Tell – to repeal them COMPLETELY. (Applause)

Then he said the thing that wins my heart: "Elizabeth is even willing to go where not everyone is willing to go, in openly supporiting our right to marry the person we love. Elizabeth Edwards is the real deal."

He finished by saying she'd make a great First Lady. Personally, I think she'd make a great President.

She came on stage then, to a standing ovation.

She thanked Scott for the incredible introduction, and the audience and community for their support over the years. She then named and thanked the servers and staff of the Convention Center -- very classy. She said she was honored to be sharing the stage with people who have made the fight for justice the purpose of their lives.

She then said she was in Sacramento the day before, and "I had planned a different speech today," but had to rewrite it after she learned of the beating death of Satendar Singh, a 26-year-old man attacked because he was assumed to be gay.

"We were in fact reminded again, while we share the lingering memory of a fence post in Laramie, the sorrow of that image is now joined by a park at Lake Natoma in Sacramento. And Matthew Shepard is joined by Satendar Singh as a martyr in that fight for justice."

Originally she had planned to talk mostly about campaign issues and other issues "dear to you," such as the 1100 federal laws that discriminate against us, against DOMA, and "don't ask, don't tell," which she said "didn't become wrong; it was always wrong."

She said that the right to live without fear of physical violence against yourself or your family is essential, and said (paraphrase): Personally I'm bewildered that so much attention was paid to my remarks here a few weeks ago (in support of marriage equality at a speech before San Francisco's Pride Parade) when I see the kind of hatred witnessed in Sacramento, violence that was like the violence that left Matthew Shepard to die simply because he was gay.

She said that violent hatred is possible because first words of hatred are tolerated. We need to be just and we need to deliver justice, but we also need a universal understanding of what it means to be gay in America today. And then we need a national commitment to decency and respect.

Ann Coulter didn't just attack John, or gays, she attacked decency and respect among all of us. Gay and lesbian young people face verbal abuse in their schools and the adminstrators nod and wink – she mentioned the homophobic comments of the current Bush administration's nominee for Surgeon General. The government itself, she said, is abetting the hatemongers.

You are threatened under a guise of scientific certitude (?) and we as a nation are diminished. The administration feels they can appoint judges that don't just hurt our community, but our ideals of civil rights.

"This president talks a lot about good and evil and the need to seek out evil doers, but he doesn't seem to recognize the evil in hate crimes. The right to live without the fear of being murdered for who we love is not a special right."

She then talked about HIV. A world crisis. We are losing a whole new generation.

George Bush has never advocated a single policy to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.  "The only policy he HAS supported is amending the Constitution to discriminate against YOU."

Hate is a learned behavior. And that's good, because it's a road of change. You've seen it in your own families. The country is growing to see we cannot call ourselves a country of equality while treating a segment as unworthy of equal treatment or even physical protection.

Told a story about a woman who was in an accident and her lover was locked out of not just her life but their home by the parents. Loss of partner, her history with her. "I don't think as a nation that we understand the connection between our acceptance of her experience… and the events of Laramie."

We are saying that person, because of who they love, is a proper target of discrimination. People of good will need to stop letting this go on.

We need in this time moral leadership that won't just remove DOMA, but will stand with you… we are brothers and sisters. "A leader who believes that I am not free if you are not free." That leadership is waiting in the wings.

Pitching for John Edwards. She says she's hopeful because we're here, undissuaded by how little has been accomplished on a national level.

Then she closed by saying, "Thank you, my brothers and sisters."

Tremendous ovation.

All photos by KT Jorgensen.

Comments

[Gina]

Good stuff.

You know, I'd be a fourth-generation San Franciscan except for the singular misfortune of having been born in Sacramento.