LGBTs Urge Community to Vote Blue at Castro Clinton Fundraiser

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was not in the Castro last weekend, but plenty of her LGBT supporters were as they raised money for the campaign and urged people to vote for her next month.

Preserving and expanding LGBT equality was the theme of the fundraiser for Clinton, held Saturday, October 1 at the Lookout bar. Just over 100 people, primarily gay men, enjoyed cocktails and appetizers at the five-hour party that commenced at noon. Though the mood of the event was upbeat, organizers and attendees urged each other not to get complacent.

Clinton received a bump in the polls following last week's presidential debate, but Republican nominee Donald Trump continues to poll at about 40 percent.

The debate was considered a victory for Clinton, who was composed and focused for the 90 minutes during which she and Trump were grilled by NBC anchor Lester Holt. Trump's performance has been widely panned after he repeatedly interrupted Clinton and Holt. He also came close to admitting that at least in some years he has not paid federal income taxes. On Saturday night, the New York Times published its bombshell story based on partial 1995 tax returns filed by Trump that show he took a $916 million loss, effectively enabling him not to pay taxes for 18 years.

Clinton and Trump meet again Sunday, October 9 for the second debate.

Keith Grenzeback, a 51-year-old gay man, was one of the primary organizers of the fundraiser. He spoke to the Bay Area Reporter about why he felt it was imperative for LGBT people to support Clinton's candidacy.

"It's not about the next four years, it's about the next 40," he said. "It's the implications of the nominations for Supreme Court justices - maybe two or three nominations. We want to keep divisiveness and hate out of the White House."

In fact, if the Senate doesn't confirm President Barack Obama's nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, and Clinton is elected, she would have a Supreme Court pick immediately.

Grenzeback urged third party voters to think carefully about their choices. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is the Libertarian Party nominee; Dr. Jill Stein is the Green Party candidate.

"I would not want to be condescending," he said. "But this isn't a typical election cycle. It's the implication of the [Supreme Court] nominations - we can't take that chance."

While California will likely be in the Clinton column come Election Day, voters in swing states such as Florida and North Carolina could tip the race - and voting for Johnson or Stein in those states and a few others could result in a Clinton defeat.

Grenzeback noted that many of his friends supported Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during the primaries.

"We are now throwing our support behind Hillary Clinton," he said, adding that the afternoon was expected to raise $15,000-$20,000 for the Clinton campaign.

Other attendees also talked about the race.

"We have to elect the first woman president," said John Bare, 54, a gay man who co-hosted the event. "We absolutely must not elect a man who is not only crazy but who has promised to gut all our rights."

Anthony Garcia, a 50-year-old bisexual man, agreed.

"It's important to have these kinds of fundraisers, because Trump does not have the temperament to be president," he said. "Hillary Clinton has always been a strong supporter of the LGBT community. This is important for all communities - I'm shocked that anyone would vote for Trump."

Gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), spoke to the crowd mid-afternoon.

"I'm really into electing Hillary Clinton as president of the United States," Leno said. "Trump has said he will appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn marriage equality. The differences between the two are stark."

Leno urged people to speak to millennials (those ages 18-34 in 2015) about Clinton, a demographic she is having trouble connecting with. "Spread the word," he said. "Social media is such that we can do this."

Though they didn't speak, gay City College board members Alex Randolph and Rafael Mandelman attended the fundraiser. Both spoke to the B.A.R.

"I supported Bernie Sanders in the primary," Mandelman said. "Like Sanders, I think it is absolutely crucial that Clinton wins this election - we all need to do everything we can to elect her. Trump is a disaster."

Mandelman also expressed his admiration for Obama, who has been an ally to the LGBT community. "Trump is the anti-Obama," he said. "All the good work Obama did will be undone if Trump wins."

Randolph was enthusiastic about Clinton's stance regarding education. "She wants to make community colleges free," he noted. "When it comes to student loan debt, it's communities of color who are impacted. I'm very focused on college affordability - I'm very excited that Clinton has made that issue one of her priorities."

Grenzeback said that he was pleased with the turnout and with the money raised. He said people could continue donating to the Clinton Victory Fund at https://www.hillaryclinton.com/events/tickets/LKORJSXWFD63NZRS/?raiser=3329934.