POLL: Which Democratic Candidate Is Your Choice?

As tonight's Democratic presidential debate draws near, we want to know how you're feeling about Hillary, Bernie, Martin, Lincoln, and Jim.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

October 13 2015 1:45 AM EST

October 31 2024 7:33 AM EST

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The Republican candidates for president have debated each other twice, and tonight in Las Vegas, the Democrats have their chance. Airing at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on CNN and hosted by out journalist Anderson Cooper, the debate will feature onetime U.S. senator from New York and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (also a former U.S. senator from that state), and Jim Webb, a former U.S. senator from Virginia who once served as Secretary of the Navy.

Although she had a rocky start when it came to LGBT rights, Clinton now trumpets her support for marriage equality and the proposed Equality Act, which would outlaw discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing, and a variety of other realms. The very liberal Sanders is also supportive of same-sex marriage, and he's a cosponsor of the Equality Act. Sanders, though, has been less vocal in his general support for LGBT causes than Clinton, who often shows solidarity via social media, advertisements, and direct references to transgender issues (see Clinton's list of promises to LGBT voters here).

O'Malley championed marriage equality as Maryland's governor, and he was the first presidential candidate to announce his support of the Equality Act. Chafee likewise supported marriage equality in Rhode Island, and both Maryland and Rhode Island were in the equality column before this year's Supreme Court ruling for nationwide marriage rights. As senators, both Chafee and Webb had high scores on the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard. Chafee is not on record specifically about the Equality Act but has made a more general statement supporting LGBT-inclusive federal nondiscrimination legislation. He supported its predecessor, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, as did Webb, who also has yet to make a statement on the Equality Act.