Day One: We’re Off & Running

By Marisa Richmond

Well, the first full day of the convention is over.  I have to start with one correction from yesterday;s post.  I said I had met Alex Darsinos.  I meant Alex Cleghorn of the Transgender Law Center.  Since it was after midnight here when I wrote, & I did have more than one cocktail last night, I hope I can be excused a moment of brainlock.

Turning to today, we started w/our daily TN breakfast.  Our speaker was Fabian Bedne of the Middle TN Hispanic Democrats.  He did a great job talking about why Dems need to be reminded on issues of diversity & remain committed to supporting the American Dream for all.

Next, I went to the African American caucus. It was opened by Howard Dean who talked about registering voters & getting them out on November 4.  Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb talked about his role in getting the facilities built that we are using this week, including “Mile High Stadium,” which he insists should not be called by that corporate name. Lottie Shackleford, former Mayor of Little Rock, gave a moving tribute to Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who died last week, and Convention CEO Rev. Leah Daugherty quoted Cong. John Lewis when she called for us “Don’t forget to get in the way.”  That is an important lesson for anyone who believes in justice and equality.  They also told us about a special speaker at the caucus meeting on Wednesday, but I will hold off on that for now.  You’ll just have to read more on Wednesday if you want to know who it is….    

For lunch, we were hosted by Cong. Lincoln Davis, who is running for Governor.  That event ended early, so Sara & I ran around the corner to the LGBT Caucus.  There were over 300 people in that ballroom.  We were actually late, so we missed the first half of the program, but, not surprisingly, it was running behind schedule.  Anyway, I did get in early enough to hear Melissa Sklarz of NYC represent the transgender community.  Shannon Minter also spoke about the Marriage Equality battle in CA, including his role in the successful lawsuit earlier this year.

During the caucus, they had a roll call of all the states.  Even Nebraska, which was thought to have zero LGBT delegates, had one.  When they called “Tennessee”, Sara & I stood up together & Whooped it up.  Later, Tim Gill (Gill Foundation & Gill Action Fund) said “that roll call at the Republican National Convention will be a lot shorter.”  We also heard Tammy Baldwin speak about the Platform.  She noted its mention of employment non-discrimination including gender identity, and respect & recognition of same-sex famiies.

After the caucus, we went to a Tea Party sponsored by the National Stonewall Democrats.  I ran into Tennessee’s one board member Dr. Herb Zeman of Memphis.  After that, I was taken by Mara Keisling (NCTE) on a brief stop at a reception at the Gill Foundation HQ to meet their staff & see their facility before I finally made it over to the Pepsi Center a bit late for the opening session.

If you have been watching on TV, TN is to the left of the podium way in the back.  We have Kansas in front of us, Texas to our right, Connecticut to our left, and Idaho & the ABC booth directly behind us.  FYI, Amanda Simpson told me later that Arizona was right in front of the VIP booth, so when Joe Biden came in, she turned & introduced herself to him as a member of the Transgender Caucus.  He assured her that the Obama-Biden adminstration will be very supportive of the Transgender Community!!!  That is why we are here!!!

I arrived at my seat just before Nancy Pelosi spoke.  Obviously, the speech by Ted Kennedy was one of the highlights of the evening.  His recent health crisis has taken its toll because, from my angle, I could see he was sitting in a stool, but while his body may be giving out on him, his fighting spirit was still there. Of course, Michelle Obama’s speech moved virtually everyone there.  The response in the Pepsi Center was overwhelmingly positive.

During her speech, a photographer from Knoxville (I did not catch if she was w/the newspaper, but I think so) took several photos of me.  At another point, but I am not sure exactly when, I was responding to a text message when the delegate next to me said “you’re on camera.”  I looked up to see a CNN camera pointed right at me, barely 5 feet away.  I just smiled & waived.  So if you think you saw me on CNN tonight, you did.

So Day One is over. Tomorrow’s session speakers will include NY Governor David Patterson, Wisconsin Congresswoman (& openly lesbian) Tammy Baldwin, Keynote Speaker Mark Warner of Virginia, Massachusetts Deval Patrick, and, of course, Hillary Clinton.  I also have several parties including ones sponsored by Governor Phil Bredesen, the Congressional Black Caucus, & former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.

Thanks for reading.  I’ll see you tomorrow.