political hopefulls sucking up to the homosexual community

(08-10) 04:00 PDT Los Angeles --

Six Democratic presidential candidates broke new ground Thursday night by participating in a televised forum devoted to gay issues, all voicing strong support for equal rights and government benefits for gay Americans - though the three leading candidates said they oppose same-sex marriage.

With the candidates generally agreeing on the major issues at hand, questioners at the forum - organized by the Human Rights Campaign and Logo, a gay-themed television network - chose to dig deeper into their personal attitudes and experiences. In particular, they grilled former Sen. John Edwards, who has expressed religious concerns about same-sex marriage and who, according to a former consultant of his, once said about gays, "I'm not comfortable around those people."

Edwards moved swiftly to deny making that remark. When one of panelists at the forum, the singer Melissa Etheridge, asked if he felt "OK right now" in a roomful of gay people, he said with a chuckle, "I'm perfectly comfortable."

Turning serious, Edwards added: "Can I just tell you - that's not true. Someone else said it, and it's not true, it's not true. It came from a political consultant, and he's just wrong. Elizabeth and I were both there, and we've said it's wrong."

A political consultant, Robert Shrum, attributed the comment to Edwards in a recent book and has stood by his account.

The former North Carolina senator also took the opportunity of the forum to repudiate his past remark that his religious views had influenced his opposition to same-sex marriage.

"I shouldn't have said that," said Edwards, a Methodist, drawing applause. "We have seen a president in the last six-plus years who has tried to impose his faith on the American people. I will not try to impose my faith belief on the American people."

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York also faced a bolt of skepticism from Etheridge, one of four panelists, who asked why gay Americans should trust her professions of support when "our hearts were broken, we were thrown under the bus" by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who also had pledged to be an ally.

"Obviously, Melissa, I don't see it quite the way you describe, but I respect your feeling about it," Clinton said.

She went on to note that her husband had appointed gay people in his administration.

Asked what was at the heart of her opposition to same-sex marriage, Clinton said, "I prefer to think of it as being very positive about civil unions."

While she enjoys support from many gay Democrats, Clinton also offered views contrary to gay rights advocates. She defended the initial creation of the Defense Department's "don't ask, don't tell" policy during her husband's administration, saying it was meant to ward off a "witch hunt" against gays in the military. She said she supports its repeal now.

Clinton also said the Defense of Marriage Act, which many gays oppose, had been a useful tool in defeating a proposed federal constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. She said she now supports repealing some parts of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, meanwhile, was challenged on his image as a "candidate of change," since - in the words of one of his questioners, Jonathan Capeheart - his opposition to same-sex marriage is "decidedly old-school."

"Oh, c'mon now," Obama said. Noting that he quickly accepted the invitation to the forum, he said, "There's a reason I was here first - I've got a track record working on these issues."

Like Edwards and Clinton, Obama emphasized his support for civil unions that offer full marriage rights - without calling the arrangement marriage - for same-sex couples.

Perhaps the most surprising moment of the night, causing a visible stir in the audience, came when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson replied to a question about whether he believes being gay is a biological fact or a personal choice.

"It's a choice," Richardson said - a view that is contrary to the position of many gay rights advocates.

Richardson added, "I don't like to answer definitions like that that are perhaps grounded in science or something else that I don't understand."

Asked twice if, as governor, Richardson would sign same-sex marriage legislation, he side-stepped the question, saying he was "doing what was achievable - and I'm not there yet."

In contrast to those four Democrats, the other two candidates who participated in the forum, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, drew strong applause by expressing full support for same-sex marriage.

"All I can say is, keep those contributions coming if you want the president you want," Kucinich said.

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who cited scheduling conflicts as his reason for not coming, said he will post answers to the questions presented at the forum on his campaign's Web site. The only other major Democratic contender to skip the event was Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who also cited scheduling problems.

Organizers said they invited several Republican presidential candidates to appear as well, but the GOP hopefuls declined.


Ross Report: Obama slipping? Join the debate at sfgate.com/blogs/rossreport.

Chronicle news services contributed to this report.