If you've watched the last three presidential debates, you'll quickly notice as a member of the TBLGQ community the questions about the issues that concern LGBTQ + Americans have been non existent save for Cory Booker and Julian Castro mentioning trans Americans and Pete Buttigieg talking about love and marriage at the end of the Houston one.

GLAAD on Friday will sponsor along with The Advocate, One Iowa, and The Gazette the 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum on LGBTQ Issues at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Joining GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis on the Sinclair Auditorium stage is actress and advocate Angelica Ross.

This makes Ross the first out trans person tapped to be a presidential forum host in addition to all the trans television history she's made already as a cast member of the groundbreaking FX series POSE and American Horror Story 1984 that premieres tonight.

Congrats to Angelica!   I'm so proud of her, and I'm confident she will do a wonderful job in making sure that the concerns of our trans community are articulated during this event.

“This LGBTQ Presidential Forum is a pivotal moment in the 2020 election cycle,” said Ellis. “It’s the first time that LGBTQ issues will be exclusively discussed by 2020 presidential candidates on a national stage.” 

She adds, “We look forward to hearing how the 2020 candidates plan to reverse the attacks and rollbacks of the Trump Administration and put LGBTQ Americans on a course to 100% acceptance.”

Confirmed participants in this TBLGQ specific forum are Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Sestak, Elizabeth Warren and Marianne Williamson.

The forum is scheduled to start at 7 PM CDT on Friday, September 20, and you can watch the forum livestream here.

As many of you political junkies are aware of, yesterday was the last day for the remaining 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidates to qualify for the September 12 debate in Houston

The standards were doubled to require that candidates seeking to be on that stage reach 2% in four DNC approved polls and draw 130,000 unique donors.   400 of those donors need to be from at least 20 different states. 

Ten people qualified to be in the H&PE Arena on the Texas Southern University campus in two weeks.

They are former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Rep Beto O"Rourke, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Andrew Yang and Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

The rest failed to make the cut, meaning there will be only one night of debates in Houston.

The scramble is on for tickets to the event, with current TSU students, faculty and staff getting first shots at the tickets for the event in the 8100 seat venue starting at 12 noon CDT on Friday August 30.   

TSU is also planning to have a campus debate watch party in Sawyer Auditorium for students, faculty, staff and the general public
   
Looking forward to all the debate related candidate events that will be taking place in the 713 during that week 

The second set of Democratic presidential debates will kick off tonight and Wednesday night in Detroit's historic FOX Theater on CNN.  They will be moderated by CNN's Don Lemon, Dana Bash, and Jake Tapper.

A draw that CNN televised live on July 18 set the candidate lineups for both nights. 

The first of the three draws divided the bottom ten candidates  between both nights.   The second draw divided the middle six candidates, and the final draw the top four contenders for the Democratic nomination.

The ten candidates tangling with each other on July 30 are  Montana Gov Steve Bullock, South Bend, IN mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Maryland Rep John Delaney,  former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Sen Amy Klobuchar (MN), former Texas Rep Beto O'Rourke, Rep Tim Ryan (OH), Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT), Sen Elizabeth Warren (MA),  and author Marianne Williamson.

The ten candidates who will take the stage on July 31 will be Sen Michael Bennet (CO), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker (NJ), former HUD Secretary Julian Castro,  New York mayor Bill de Blasio,  Rep Tulsi Gabbard (HI), Sen Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), former Washington Gov Jay Inslee,  Sen Kamala Harris (CA)  and entrepreneur Andrew Yang

Now that we know which candidates will be debating each other on which night, the question now becomes what topics will are brought up for discussion by the CNN moderators?

Of concern to trans Americans is will trans Americans be discussed on either debate night in Detroit like we were by Sen Booker and Secretary Castro during the first debate in Miami.

We in Trans World certainly hope that what is happening to the trans community gets discussed again, but are cognizant of the fact that the topics that get discussed tonight and tomorrow night will depend in large part on the news cycle and what the moderators choose to focus on.

Either way, both nights are shaping up to be must see TV for political junkies like me and everyone interested in who will emerge from this crowded field to become the 2020 Democratic nominee.
     

The final debate was in Las Vegas last night, and once again it was another win for President Secretary Hillary Clinton in which she decisively spanked that behind once again.

Trump came out swinging, but once again proved once again he didn't have the stamina or command of policy to hang with Clinton

And when Trump didn't have an answer to a policy question, he did what he always does: lie, deflect and stall to avoid answering it, and when that didn't work, launched false attacks of Clinton

But the comment that is probably going to sink his campaign for good is not emphatically stating he wouldn't accept the election results  if when he loses

Secretary Clinton talked about this on her campaign plane.



Once again the polls have spoken and backed up what I observed by overwhelmingly stating she won.   I agree.  Another win for Secretary Clinton

Hopefully the debate sweep results in an resounding electoral college win on November 8

Live from the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus later tonight, it's the final 2016 presidential debate between Sec. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

The 90 minute live debate will be once again broadcast with no commercial interruption on twelve broadcast and cable networks  

The first two debates at Hofstra and Washington University were resounding Clinton wins, and the unforced errors by Trump didn't hurt.

She goes into this one seeking to not only sweep the debates but in this battleground state throw the knockout punch in a critical presidential race that is increasingly trending in her favor and in which much of the country is already early voting in advance of November 8.

And I'll be doing so when early voting starts on October 24 in Texas, in which a Democrat has their best chance of winning this state since 1976 when Jimmy Carter carried the Lone Star State.

The debate is scheduled to cover in the six 15 minute segments Debt and Entitlements, Immigration, The economy, the Supreme Court, Foreign hot spots, and fitness to be president

What I'm skeptical about for this final debate is how much policy will be discussed.

What I am skeptical of is the moderator will be Chris Wallace from FOX Noise.  It will be the first time someone from FOX has been tapped to moderate a debate, and he raised some eyebrows when he said his job wasn't to fact check the candidates, then quickly recanted on that.

He also has a troubling history of making sexist comments and remarks himself.

And I disagree.  Part of your job as moderator when one candidate has a demonstrated history of non-stop lying is to call lies out, and lets see how well Wallace does in doing so and keeping things moving.

It will also be interesting to see later tonight what shenanigans Trump pulls this time in an attempt to psyche out Clinton/

They rumble, er debate starting at 8 PM CDT.
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One of the people I love seeing when she does appear on TV to set people straight is Angela Rye.

You've got to check out this video of Angela calling out the ridiculousness of Kayleigh McEnany for the GOP wide talking point of trying to blame Hillary Clinton for her hubby's affairs.

I guess by that same standard, Melania Trump is to blame for he's husband's nekulturny behavior.

Check out Angela Rye snatching Kayleigh's wig on air.

The second presidential debate turned out as expected with Donald Trump lying through his teeth once again in addition to having some WTF moments.

Trump at one point is standing uncomfortably close to Clinton during that debate after admitting to co-moderator Anderson Cooper that he doesn't understand what sexual assault is.

As usual, any time Trump was asked a direct question, he didn't answer it and deflected to attacking Clinton.   He also attacked a Clinton that last ran and won re-election presidency in 1996 in Bill.

But Bill isn't running, it's his wife.   What Bill Clinton did 20 years ago isn't for debate in 2016.  That was dealt with back in the 90's.   Donald is the one running for POTUS, and it's your character that is being evaluated.
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Despite the pathetic attempts of the conservative leaning pundits to attempt to call this a 'win' for Trump, it wasn't, especially when you make the jaw dropping statement that you're going to throw your political opponent in jail and you 'have the utmost respect' for women when it's been glaringly obvious in this campaign and throughout your life you don't .

While co-moderators Martha Raddatz of ABC and Anderson Cooper of CNN did yeoman's work in keeping this debate from spinning out of control and devolving into a WWE cage match, one of the things I didn't like is the fact that despite being less than 30 minutes from Ferguson, MO, not one question was asked during this 93 minute debate about police reform or #Black Lives Matter.

Neither were their any questions asked about LGBTQ rights or what either candidate would do to protect and defend the human rights of transgender Americans.

And with Chris Wallace of FOX News moderating the final debate in Las Vegas on October 19, I doubt any questions on those two subjects will be asked at that debate either.

But once again, a great night for Clinton, with another decisive debate win despite the appearance more combative but still facts free Trump.

Final debate on the UNLV campus will be interesting to see play out.

The first 2016 presidential debate between Sec. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at Hofstra University broke a viewing record that had stood since the 1980 Carter-Reagan debate.

Over 84 million people watched Hillary Clinton win that one after Trump self destructed, and thanks to Trump's reprehensible 2005 remarks about groping women into a hot mic that was all over the news Friday, the one in St Louis later tonight may break that record.

The second presidential debate on the Washington University campus, and will be a town hall format moderated by ABC's Martha Raddatz and CNN's Anderson Cooper.

The questions will be asked by the debate audience.   And with Trump's poll numbers sinking, his campaign teetering on the brink of collapse, and the Republicans now calling for him to step down from the top of the ticket, in the wake of his latest self inflicted campaign wound,  this one could be 90 minutes of ugliness as trump tried to salvage his campaign.

Meanwhile Clinton was prepping for the debate tonight as the political firestorm engulfed the Trump campaign that threatens to immolate it with 29 days to go to Election Day and early voting already taking place in several states.

The debate will be simulcast across cable and network TV starting at 8 PM CDT, so you can pick your fave between ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, MSNBC, FOX Noise, FOX Business, Univision, Telemundo, or C-SPAN.

We'll see how this one turns out.  It'll also be interesting to see what questions get asked over the 90 minutes this debate is being televised.

The first debate is now over, and it was a no doubt about it win for Hillary Clinton tonight.

It was non stop slayage by her of the rude bombastic know nothing who over 95 minutes exposed himself as woefully unfit and unqualified to be president of the United States.

And it was also clear when this debate was over who is best prepared to be president of the United States the day she is sworn in on January 20, 2017

Yeah, we definitely still have work to do, two more presidential debates and an election to win before we can get to that point, but Secretary Clinton took a huge step forward toward becoming the next president of the United States with her stellar debate performance tonight.

Trump rudely interrupted Clinton 28 times in the first 25 minutes of the debate, and with the exception of hammering her on the TPP deal, it wasn't a good night for The Donald.                

Clinton hammered him on his taxes and a wide range of subjects as Trump descended into rambling incoherence.


Even FOX Noise couldn't spin this into a win for Trump and conceded he's lost this debate.  They're pinning their hopes on the upcoming October 4 vice presidential candidate debate on the Longwood University campus in Farmville, VA.

Next presidential debate will be on October 9 in St. Louis on the Washington University campus, and it will be a town hall format moderated by CNN's Anderson Cooper and ABC's Martha Raddatz ,

At 8 PM CDT the first of three presidential debates between Democratic presidential nominee Sec. Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential bigot nominee will take place on the Hofstra University campus in Hempstead, NY.

After Sec. Clinton gets the first question from moderator Lester Holt, it'll be 90 minutes of action with no commercials and no breaks.  That's what we know about what will happen at the start of this critical debate.   What we also know is a lot of people will be tuned in to watch it, with pre debate estimates of up to 100 million people for this.

What we don't know is what will happen during and after it.

And FYI, when y'all play the debate drinking games, don't make one of the conditions for taking a sip Donald trump lying.  He does that an estimated every three minutes, and you'll need a designated driver or an Uber to get you home post debate

And yes, I'll be watching the debate tonight and commenting on my TransGriot Twitter feed

So let's get ready to rumblllllllleeeeee, er debate.  I want Clinton to kick his behind and end this pretense that Trump is even qualified to be POTUS because he's not.

Should be fun to watch.

I first met Joel Silberman when I went to New York in 2012 to take part in the GLAAD POC Media training sessions that weekend.

I learned a lot during that weekend, and they are lessons I've used in the few subsequent televised media opportunities I have done since completing that training.  I also used them to capture the 2016 Netroots Nation Pundit Cup title in St. Louis with him looking on during my final match like a proud teacher watching his star pupil excel.

I was surprised to discover that this was the first time MSNBC has invited him on any one of their shows, and he made his first appearance a memorable one.

Silberman, who works with Democracy Partners, in addition to doing the trainings I attended, has been a media coach for politicians and media personnel for debates and public appearances.

And I can tell you from experience he's good at it.

Here's yesterday's MSNBC appearance, and he has been invited back on the network for a subsequent appearance.   Looking forward to seeing it.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has already selected their moderators for the upcoming series of 2016 presidential and vice presidential debates that will start September 26 at Hofstra University.

But what has myself and a lot of people angry is FOX Noise's Chris Wallace, who was tapped to moderate the third debate in Las Vegas.   He has made the incredibly problematic statement that 'it's not my role as a presidential debate moderator to be a 'truth squad'..





Naw homey, that IS your fundamental role as a journalist.  The American people are depending on you to do just that and call out the lies during this final scheduled debate by any candidate.  

If you're unwilling to do your job in an election cycle in which the composition of the Supreme Court and the direction of our country is at stake, then  the CPD needs to replace Wallace with someone who will.

Many people (myself included) are disturbed by Wallace's comment, and believe that comment disqualifies him to be a moderator for the third debate on October 19.   As for who should replace him, MSNBC's Joy Reid has already demonstrated that she has no problem calling out lying surrogates and pundits, and is the woman for the job of moderating this last debate and calling out the lies..




 A Change.org petition has been launched that has garnered over 10,000 signatures in just four days. asking for Reid to be added either as the co-debate moderator or sole moderator, since Wallace has already indicated he is not going to fact check the candidates.


Here's the link to that petition if you think that's a great idea and wish to join the 10,279 people who have signed this petition.

Here's hoping the CPD acts on that suggestion and gets a real journalist to do that critical final debate at UNLV.

It is past time to give a non white journalist the opportunity to moderate a presidential debate, and that needs to happen this year.
-TransGriot, August 23, 2016 

Looks like the Commission on Presidential Debates heard me and other people concerning this subjectbecause they finally selected a non white journalist for a presidential debate.

Lester Holt of NBC News will moderate the first debate at Hofstra University on September 26.  He will be the first Black male journalist since Bernard Shaw in 1988 to moderate a presidential debate and the first African-American debate moderator since Carole Simpson handled those duties in 1992.

About time CPD..

When the vice presidential debate happens on October 4 on the Longwood University campus, there will be another historic choice for debate moderator.   Elaine Quijano of CBS News becomes the first Latinx journalist to moderate any debate be it a presidential or vice presidential one.  

In 2020 a presidential debate needs to be moderated by a Latinx journalist..

The second town hall debate on October 9 in St. Louis will be co moderated by Anderson Cooper of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC News.

The third debate on October 19 in Las Vegas will be moderated by Chris Wallace of FOX News.      

After Labor Day passes, we will be in the critical homestretch phase of the 2016 presidential campaign.  Many folks who have been either casually following it or tuned it our completely, will with the November 8 election day looming on the horizon, start paying attention to the election and the candidates.

The presidential and vice presidential debates organized by the nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates will be one of the ways that still undecided voters get the information that will help them decide who will be taking the oath of office to become our 45th president on January 20.

There will be three presidential debates between Democratic nominee Sec. Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump and one vice presidential debate between Sen Tim Kaine (D) and Gov. Mike Pence (R).

As for third party candidates, they will have to meet certain predetermined criteria as set out by the CPD before they will be allowed to participate.

The debates will last 90 minutes, and moderators will be selected soon. We already know the debate sites and formats, and here they are.

The first debate between Clinton and Trump is scheduled to take place on September 26 on the Hofstra University campus in Hempstead, NY.

That will be followed by the only vice presidential debate on October 4 on the Longwood University campus in Farmville, VA.


The second presidential debate will take place October 9 on the Washington University campus in St Louis, and will be a town hall format.

The final presidential debate will take place on October 19 on the University of Nevada- Las Vegas campus in Las Vegas, NV

The designated backup site for the 2016 presidential debates is Belmont University in Nashville, TN.

One thing I do hope the the CPD does take into consideration is to have someone other than white male or female journalists as debate moderators.  There are plenty of non-white journalists who can handle debate moderation, and it's past time that Black and Latino journalists had the opportunity to do so.

The last Black person to moderate a presidential debate was Carole Simpson back in 1992.  Yes Gwen Ifill has moderated two debates in 2004 and 2008, but they were vice presidential ones.

It is past time to give a non white journalist the opportunity to moderate a presidential debate, and that needs to happen this year.