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Democratic presidential contenders spoke to a national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) audience for the first time Thursday night in a question-and-answer format organized by the Human Rights Campaign and aired on LOGO, MTV Networks' LGBT network. The Republican candidates all declined to participate in a similar forum.

The Democratic contenders faced questions regarding their inability to support marriage rights for same-sex couples, how they would deal with the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the need for hate-crimes legislation to cover LGBT people, and much more.

The forum, which was taped in Los Angeles, was attended by all Democratic contenders except for Sens. Joseph Biden and Chris Dodd, who said they had scheduling conflicts.

For an in-depth analysis of the forum by National Public Radio, click here. To read "The Personal Horror of Don't Ask, Don't Tell," click here.

All of the Democratic candidates said they support a federal ban on anti-LGBT job discrimination, want to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy barring gays from serving openly in the military, and support civil unions that would extend marriage-like rights to same-sex couples.

In general, the contenders were defensive. Former Sen. John Edwards explained how he wouldn't allow his Christian faith to get in the way of his support of civil unions but admitted he is not willing to support same-sex marriage at this point. Sen. Barack Obama said he doesn't believe same-sex marriage is a civil-rights issue but also explained that he regularly speaks to black ministers about dealing with the community's anti-gay sentiment. However, the night's "groaning" moment came when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson answered the question of whether being LGBT is a choice or a biological orientation. He claimed it's a choice.

Richardson, who supported domestic-partner and hate-crimes legislation in New Mexico, further explained his point. "I don't see this as an issue of science or definition. I see gays and lesbians as people. I see it as matter of love and companionship. I don't like to categorize people. I don't like to answer questions grounded in science or things I don't understand," Richardson said.

The Democratic presidential contenders who did best were Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Mike Gravel and Sen. Hillary Clinton, who tactfully and earnestly defended her support of civil unions with full marriage rights and promised an end to the policies of the Bush administration, such as the Federal Marriage Amendment.

"It was demeaning. It was degrading. It was mean spirited. That will end. That is over," Clinton said to applause.

Kucinich and Gravel are distinct from the rest of the pack because they fully support same-sex marriage as opposed to civil unions with full marriage rights.

"[Marriage] is a commitment between two humans in love, and if there's anything we need in this world it's more love," said Gravel.

Kucinich also said same-sex marriage is about love and added that he supports a not-for-profit healthcare system that would fully cover people with HIV/AIDS.

LGBT-rights activists, such as musician Melissa Etheridge, attended the event.

While the forum only aired on LOGO, the network is available in 27 million homes. How the contenders were perceived by that television audience, which was undoubtedly largely LGBT and their friends and supporters, could prove to be extremely important in a tight presidential race.

LGBT voters are an extremely strong voting bloc, a group comprised of people who are far more likely to vote than the general population, says the Gay & Lesbian Consumer Index. The survey shows that 92.5 percent of gay respondents and 90.7 percent of lesbian respondents report that they voted in the 2004 presidential election. Likewise, in the mid-term election in 2006, 83.8 percent of gays report that they voted, as did 78 percent of lesbians.

The percentages greatly outpace those of the straight population. In the 2004 presidential election, 64 percent voted and 40 percent voted in the 2006 mid-term election. 

"The general population is made up of lots of groups, and yes, the gay and lesbian population is smaller than the total population," concedes Jerry McHugh, senior director of research for San Francisco-based Community Marketing Inc., which conducted the survey. "But we calculated that 9.8 million gay and lesbian people voted in 2004, and according to the U.S. census, 125 million people voted, so 7.8 percent [of the voters] were gay and lesbian."

"That's a significant percentage," he says.

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