This gay is
not for Giuliani

You may not be familiar with Ryan Davis or his organization "Gays for Giuliani"--probably because the former is a 25-year-old off-Broadway director, and the latter is made up--but both are exerting a tangible influence on the presidential primary race, at least among the Internet savvy. With a home video camera and a few friends, Davis created the mock PSA "Gays for Giuliani," a mini movie expressing facetious support for the former New York City mayor--and sometime drag queen--Rudy Giuliani. According to the creator, the fake PSA was intended as a criticism of Giuliani's recent flip-flopping on gay rights issues. But Davis's use of gay stereotypes have some calling the out-and-proud politico, rather than the GOP, homophobic.

What prompted you to create this "advertisement"? I was pretty upset that Giuliani was turning his back on the gay community. When he was mayor of NYC, I always thought of him as a social progressive, and now he just panders to the Christian right.

Why online video as opposed to another medium? It's a great way to get your message out there. Corporations and churches have lots of money and lobbyists. I don't have either one of those, but I do have a video camera and access to YouTube.com.

Do you see the Internet--more specifically, blogs and YouTube--as major influences in the upcoming election? Absolutely. It's holding candidates constantly accountable. Look at former senator George Allen from Virginia--he basically lost the election because a video of him using a racial slur during a campaign speech surfaced on YouTube. I don't think you're going to hear anyone saying "macaca" this time around.

How has your opinion of Giuliani changed, given his flip-flopping on gay rights and other controversial issues? I've disagreed with Giuliani on some issues and agreed with him on others, but I've always respected him as a real leader. He seemed to stand for things he actually believed in. Now, he's gone back and forth on so many issues I can't keep track. It's hard to respect someone who is so constantly pandering.

Who do you think will be the best candidate for president? Had you been--or are you still--rooting for Giuliani? It is starting to look like Rudy is just going to be eight more years of Bush. I'm interested in candidates like Obama and Edwards who really seem like they're trying to shake things up. We need real change.

A few LGBT people have misinterpreted your PSA as an attack on gays and lesbians rather than on Giuliani. Your thoughts? I think less politically astute people take the ad at face value. It may not be the most tasteful 45 seconds on the net, but that's what makes it so effective. It's not supposed to make [gays and lesbians] feel better about our place in the world--it's supposed to help keep Rudy from getting the Republican nomination and becoming president.

What is the best way to get our generation to become politically active? What has inspired your activism?George W. Bush has inspired me and many others to become active in politics. I couldn't just sit around and watch him destroy everything without speaking up. So in 2003 I went and volunteered for Gov. Howard Dean, and I've had the political bug ever since. Young people are the best campaign volunteers. We can go longer without sleep and don't mind 16-hour workdays. Anyone can go knock on doors in Iowa and New Hampshire and stand up for what they believe in the old-fashioned way, with boots on the ground. Oh, and YouTube ain't so bad either.

Click here to see "Gays for Giuliani."