Hours after George W. Bush beat Senator John Kerry and won his second term in office, many Rochester gays and lesbians discretely took down their pride flags and removed bumper stickers.

They briefly went underground and back into the closet, out of fear.

And mind you, this is not San Francisco or South Beach, but it's not Wyoming, either.

The Swift Boat ads helped to cast Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, as undeserving of his war hero status. .

But by demonizing gay rights and gay marriage, conservatives unified the Republican Party.

In contrast, Senator Hillary Clinton wasn't afraid to utter the "G" word last night at the Democratic National Convention.

The room didn't suddenly go dark. Lightening didn't strike the stage. Heterosexual families everywhere didn't disintegrate into thin air.

After eight years of watching the Bush administration erode our civil rights under the pretense of national security, roughly the same argument totalitarian regimes employ, Clinton reminded us of the importance of protecting our civil, women's, and gay rights.

The work isn't over, and passively turning the responsibility over to the other party is risky business.

For weeks now, the media has churned over Clinton's supporters, going so far as to predict she will be to blame if Barack Obama loses in November.

If that happens, it won't be Clinton's fault. Rather than shutting some people out, the Clintons have always been about building a bigger tent.

In her melon-colored pant suit, Clinton hit the stage last night and forcefully persuaded voters that it's not all about her.

It's about us - all of us.

That's why, she said, you should vote for Obama.