…The way in which the words ‘gay’ or ‘sexual orientation’ are mentioned by every keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Michelle Obama, Hilary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Al Gore… Nothing from Joe Biden, the Catholic who scores well with gay rights activists.

So Barak over to you.

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

Yup in his acceptance speech in what is going to be the tightest and maybe ugliest election in years Barack Obama mentioned the word lesbian too.

As Pam Spaulding said

It’s a statement that will tick off those who want it all, and want it now — after all, separate is not equal, but the reality is that, on this national stage, a call for equality in this way is groundbreaking because it was purposefully present — and the crowd responded — and a nation watched a presidential candidate in a close race (that shouldn’t be close), put himself out there.

And it was the applause after he said it which really got me – and got Good as You also. (Video of comment available there also!

I hear that Eamon Gilmore, Enda Kenny and a whole lot of other Irish Politicians are visiting the convention – maybe they’ll learn that it’s not that difficult to say it, to mean it though well that’s another thing!

No doubt there will be those who say it shouldn’t make a difference. Well if you have spent your life not being recognised, reaching out for the merest hint of inclusion in public discourse, or enduring opportunities for verbal gay bashing, the past week has been significantly different in not having to search for a nod to the fact that matters to do with sexual orientation deserve to be prominently part of the civil and human rights agenda.