Hillary Clinton's celebrity status is undeniable and in some part earned. (Some, notably David Lat and before him Michelangelo Signorile, have posited that Hillary Clinton may be a "gay icon" in the mold of Judy Garland. Ann Althouse recently gave Lat's post some mileage on her blog, too.) I have no doubt that she is competent and, in some sense, glamorous. Her significant experience, her personal charm, her unquestionable grasp of policy details, her self-confidence and her poise understandably earn her a wide-range of support. But among gays and lesbians? She reigned over "Defense of Marriage Act" (she didn't oppose it as First Lady, and Bill gladly signed it) and is still justifying Don't Ask Don't Tell as having been the right policy at the time, though calling for its repeal. Even now she does not call for all of DOMA to be repealed, but parses her new-found DOMA-opposition. Not much comfort for the thousands who have suffered in the intervening years. Perhaps if she offered reparations for the discrimination? I haven't heard her utter a word about that. It's always crumbs when it comes to us. During her time in the Senate she has failed to address, forget solve, some of the most persistent and heart-breaking injustices faced by tens of thousands of her own gay and lesbian constituents---preferring to ignore us. This does not include the cozy relationship she enjoys with major donors and fundraisers (you know who you are); they are not ignored. While she has been the U.S. Senator from New York, gays and lesbians have been deported who should have been allowed to remain in this country with their American partners. She has not spoken even once to this issue. Will those men and women one day be brought back at U.S. expense and compensated for the incredible hardship they have faced? And what of the American citizens whose families have been destroyed? I have a hard time understanding how 1,000 gays and lesbians can show up at Hiro and not be concerned about these deportations, and for the thousands of binational relationships that have been destroyed or never even allowed to flourish. They are an enormous tragedy for our community and should not be ignored.