Every time a gay or lesbian person is chosen as a leader by their non-gay and lesbian peers, I think it's a step forward for our community.

People can't stand up and slam the gay and lesbian community when there's such a wonderful example of a public servant serving right there with them.

And let's not make any mistake, or gloss over that fact: Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are at risk every day of their lives. Not only are we the group most at risk of violence, we are most at risk of job discrimination, losing our families; homophobia retains its title as the last socially acceptable form of bigotry.

This episode goes into the homes of real families to show that gay and lesbian couples make the same kinds of commitments that straight couples make. These stories show the stark difference in how our government treats same-sex couples, who, without the protections that married couples enjoy, are often left in the cold at times when they are at their most vulnerable.

The group wanted not only to know where voters are on that issue but how they see gay and lesbian rights in totality.

I would say that I'm a feminist theorist before I'm a queer theorist or a gay and lesbian theorist.