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2020 Presidential Election

Democratic presidential candidates to debate in forum focused on LGBTQ issues

By Amy Lieu Fox News
Published

A forum for 2020 Democratic candidates to debate LGBTQ issues is scheduled to be held at UCLA's Royce Hall on Oct. 10. (Facebook via UCLA)

Democratic presidential candidates are scheduled to debate in a forum specifically dedicated to LGBTQ issues in California this fall, reports said Monday.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs will host the forum, according to the Advocate and Hollywood Reporter.

"Millions of LGBTQ people will have their rights on the ballot in 2020," Chad Griffin, the HRC president said in a statement obtained by outlets. "But today we are also a powerful voting bloc that will help determine the outcome. We’re excited to partner with UCLA Luskin and create an opportunity to hear candidates’ agendas for moving equality forward.”

The debate is scheduled on October 10 at UCLA's Royce Hall, the Reporter said. That date is also National Coming Out Day.

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“The Luskin School of Public Affairs is dedicated to enhancing the well-being of all Americans through an informed electorate and educated social leaders,” said Gary Segura, dean of UCLA Luskin, according to the Advocate. “We are beyond excited to partner with the Human Rights Campaign in raising LGBTQ issues and the policy stances of candidates to greater public attention in this cycle. UCLA is the perfect host for this conversation.”

Organizers will use the same parameters as the Democratic National Committee's sanctioned debates to invite the candidates, who need to poll at least 1 percent in at least three national polls or receive 65,000 donations from different people in 20 states, the Advocate reported.

So far Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., is only LGBTQ candidate who has expressed interest in running for president. He has reached 65,000 donors, which qualifies him for the debate if he changes his exploratory run into an official presidential one, according to the Reporter.

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The HRC Foundation last hosted a presidential forum in 2008 with then-candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Bill Richardson.