This past week I was interview by Matthew S. Bajko of the Bay Area Reporter and here is a piece from the column – Article which can be found at http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=4188:

“It is unlikely she will face a Democratic challenger in next summer’s primary, but Boxer can ill afford to lose LGBT support in the general election. And like their legislative counterparts, her LGBT constituents are beginning to closely examine Boxer’s record in terms of LGBT bills this year.

“I feel that Boxer has been considered a champion of LGBT issues, however, unless you are pushing for legislation and doing more than just co-sponsoring, you really are not championing the issue,” said out lesbian Marin County resident Melanie Nathan, a conflict resolution specialist who founded San Francisco-based agency Private Courts. “I don’t know who is taking the lead on these issues. I certainly would like to see Senator Boxer take the lead.”

Nathan said she is becoming increasingly concerned that the attention of Congress and the president is being usurped by the health care reform debate, and that is being used as an excuse to ignore other matters of importance to LGBT citizens.

“The question then remains is that a good reason to fail to take leadership on issues that seriously impact civil rights when we have a friendly president, supposedly, and a friendly Congress and a friendly Senate?” asked Nathan. “As a lesbian, I feel terrified we are going to be left behind again.”

Nathan was part of a group of LGBT advocates who met with Feinstein’s Washington, D.C. staffers June 3 to press the senior lawmaker to sign on to the Uniting American Families Act. The legislation, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), would allow the foreign-born partners of LGBT Americans to apply for U.S. citizenship. While Boxer is a co-sponsor of the bill, Feinstein has yet to sign on to the legislation.”

Please read my comments in context and the full article at  http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=4188: