When Democrats Don't Support Equal Rights

There's something really troubling and stinky brewing in Indiana, and it all centers around the retirement of U.S. Senator Evan Bayh and the decision that some 32 Democratic Party leaders will make in deciding who will replace Sen. Bayh on this Fall's ballot.

See, there's a conventional wisdom, establishment candidate emerging that seems to have support from the White House, maybe the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, and perhaps even some high profile Indiana Democrats. The problem? It turns out that this guy, current U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, is one of the worst Democrats in Congress when it comes to supporting gay rights.

He's so bad on equal rights issues, in fact, that Indiana's other U.S. Senator, Republican Dick Lugar, bests Ellsworth on the Human Rights Campaign's equality index by a whopping 30 points. In football terms, that's four touchdowns and a safety. In political terms, that's totally unacceptable.

Shouldn't someone running for a U.S. Senate seat -- and who will in turn likely receive money from the national Democratic Party -- have a vested interest in fighting for legislation that benefits LGBT Americans? Shouldn't we demand it?

Stonewall Democrats is currently urging the Indiana Democratic Party to put forward a nominee who will work hard for equal rights, and one who will serve as a good bridge on a host of progressive issues -- labor, immigration, LGBT rights, women's rights, and green issues. That may sound like asking for the total package, but when we're given the opportunity to choose our nominees, shouldn't the expectation be "total package"?

As Stonewall Dems write, "Several of the most prominent potential nominees have a bad track record on LGBT issues. They voted against hate crimes legislation, and to kill LGBT bills in past Congresses. The party could easily select an anti-equality nominee to be the next Senator from Indiana. We can't let that happen."

They're right. And though they don't mention it, it seems pretty clear that one of the folks they're talking about is Rep. Brad Ellsworth, who really seems to be leading the pack at this moment. How could someone with a 30 percent voting score on legislation related to equality become a statewide standard bearer for the Democratic Party?

Bil Browning at Bilerico Project writes that if the Indiana Democratic Party doesn't choose a nominee carefully for this race, they could be asking for some serious trouble from progressive groups.

"Will the Democrats pick a candidate whose record on LGBT issues is half as acceptable as the Republican senior Senator and a third that of the Democratic Senator he wants to replace?" Browning asks. "The Democratic Party is a family, and you don't promote family members like Ellsworth - with his appalling record on LGBT issues - to the driver's seat."

If you haven't signed the Stonewall Democrats' petition urging the Indiana Democratic Party to choose an equality-minded candidate for this race, you can do so here. And if you want to send a direct email to the Chair of Indiana's Democratic Party, Dan Parker, click here. Whoever the nominee is, whether it's Ellsworth or another candidate, needs to know that there's a constituency out there watching, making sure that no Democrat with a 30 percent rating on equality legislation is celebrated as a catch for the Party.