"First For Presidential Campaigns: Elizabeth Edwards To Appear At Gay Pride Event"

San Francisco Chronicle:

Elizabeth Edwards' scheduled appearance Sunday at a major San Francisco Gay Pride event represents a first for a major presidential candidate or spouse -- one that activists said reflects the growing clout of gay and lesbians as voters and their continued move into the political mainstream.

Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, is scheduled to speak Sunday morning at the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Democratic Club breakfast at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Organizers say it marks the highest level of presidential campaigning at the annual Gay Pride Parade.

"It certainly is another barrier falling,'' said author and gay activist David Mixner, a Clinton administration adviser who backs Edwards in the 2008 race.

"There's been a taboo on any (candidate)-related Gay Pride events,'' he said, with major presidential hopefuls steering away because the event has been viewed largely in the mainstream media as a no-holds-barred celebration of the gay lifestyle.

But Mixner -- whom Newsweek once called "the most powerful gay man in America'' -- said Democratic politicians particularly are realizing that "just like straights at Mardi Gras, there's a wide range of different events, from picnics and political clubs to the parade,'' many of them family-oriented and many stocked with potential voters.

"The myth of what Pride is will be exploded ... and that taboo will now be removed,'' he said. "And I can't think of a better person to do it than Elizabeth Edwards. She won't let people tell her where she can go and who she can talk to.''

Gloria Nieto, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee's gay and lesbian caucus who has yet to endorse a 2008 candidate, agreed that Elizabeth Edwards' appearance showed that candidates view gay and lesbian voters as a constituency that must be sought after in much the same way as other blocs of voters -- particularly in California with its important Feb. 5 primary.

"The fact that Edwards' campaign is so forward thinking in that way shows that (gay political influence) is coming to fruition," Nieto said. "They're looking outside the Beltway and looking for other areas of gay power and influence.''

Democratic activist Jeff Anderson, who invited Elizabeth Edwards to the event and supports her husband, the former North Carolina senator, called her scheduled appearance on Sunday "a significant step for our community.''

"Over the last 10 years, we've advanced so far from presidential candidates not wanting to show up,'' to discussing and even endorsing gay issues, said Anderson, the former co-chair of John Kerry's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender finance committee. Anderson is among those who will be host for an Edwards fundraiser with the candidate Tuesday night at the Fairmont Hotel.

After three decades of Gay Pride celebrations, the presence of a major candidate's spouse signifies three things, said Scott Wiener, who chairs the San Francisco Democratic Party Central Committee.

"The first is the growing clout of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in politics, particularly Democratic party politics. The second is increasing acceptance of political candidates who hold pro-LGBT views -- especially since 10 years ago, candidate were much more skittish about that,'' he said. "And it shows John Edwards' strong support for the LGBT community ... he's been incredibly supportive."

Wiener said Elizabeth Edwards -- who has also agreed to be the keynote speaker at the July 14 Human Rights Campaign event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium -- brings her own cachet as one of the most popular figures on the presidential campaign trail.

"On her own, she's a very accomplished person, as a lawyer and as an author,'' he said.