The NaTia blog. :)

gaywrites:

Tonight at 9pm EST marks the first of the presidential debates. Will Romney and Obama talk about LGBT issues at all? Maybe.

The theme of tonight’s debate is domestic policy, meaning LGBT issues and marriage equality are technically fair game. Marriage equality is up for a vote in four states this election, and LGBT issues are playing a larger role than ever in the political scene. But that doesn’t mean a question about LGBT rights is to be expected.

The moderator of the debate is Jim Lehrer, the executive editor and former news anchor for PBS NewsHour. It’s unclear if he’ll ask a question on LGBT rights or marriage at the debate. But a question on LGBT rights could create an opportunity for Obama, who endorsed same-sex marriage in May, to attack Romney for not only opposing marriage rights for gay couples, but supporting a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, said if a marriage question was posed to the candidates during the debate, he’d like to hear Obama “repeat the same heartfelt personal explanation” that he offered in May when he announced he completed his evolution in support of marriage equality.

“And I’d like him to point out that just as it was wrong to deny couples of different races — like his parents — the freedom to marry, so under our Constitution, it is wrong to exclude couples of the same sex from the commitment of marriage and the freedom to marry under the law,” Wolfson said.

Personally, I’m thrilled that debate season is starting, and I hope voters get the chance to hear these two candidates speak publicly about marriage equality and other LGBT issues. Let me know if you agree!