Walking the Plank - SF Mayor Gavin Newsom isn't going to be speaking at the DNC this week. But apparantly getting in to see the gay marriage crusader is one of the toughest tickets in town.

While gay rights are not on the front burner at the convention, the full inclusion of gays (but not gay marriage) seems to be the compromise reached by the Democratic platform. Furthermore, there's language addressing the problematic "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The plaform text that has been agreed upon contains the following two passages:

"We are committed to equal treatment of all service members and believe that all patriotic Americans should be allowed to serve our country without discrimination, prosecution or violence."

" . . . we support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek equal responsibilities, benefits and protections for these families."

Conventions, of course, are all for show. But there's power in inclusive language that shouldn't be overlooked.