Dana Rohrabacher Was Not Elected Homecoming Queen Friday

Dana Rohrabacher's congressional district, CA-48, stretches along the Pacific Ocean from Seal Beach, where L.A. County and Long Beach end and Orange County begins, down through Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel right to the edge of San Juan Capistrano. It's easternmost points are just beyond Fountain Valley and Aliso Viejo. It's one of southern California's redder districts with a PVI of R+7. Obama scored 46% against McCain and 43% against Romney. The district is wealthy (medium household income is $76,077, compared to $57,287 for the whole state) and white (69%). In his younger days, Rohrabacher was not just a pot head, a rocker-- still pals with Red Rocker Sammy Hager-- and a surfer, but also a bit of a gay blade... or, "bisexual." I guess if you're in Congress and you get outed as a closet case and quickly marry a campaign staffer, as in the case of Rohrabacher, you're bisexual at least in Republicanville. (Yesterday, one partially-closeted Republican Member of Congress-- who for some reason insisted on anonymity-- told me that he always found Rohrabacher "strange" and tittered that "that woman he married looks like a diesel dyke.")

I don't care if Rohrabacher is gay or bi or closeted or whatever. I do care that he's a raging homophobe who votes against every equality bill that gets before Congress. Rohrabacher's district is changing faster than he is. The spiritual heart of the district, Huntington Beach just saw a high school elected a transgendered girl homecoming queen.

A transgender student at Marina High School in Huntington Beach made history Friday evening by becoming the school’s Homecoming Queen.

Cassidy Lynn Campbell, who was among five finalists, was selected for the coveted title. The announcement was made during halftime of Friday night’s game.

Earlier in the day, students reportedly erupted in cheers when it was announced that Campbell was among the finalists.

“I think it’s really awesome ’cause a lot of people wouldn’t be able to do what she does. I mean … I would be so scared and she’s accepting everything that everyone is saying. She’s taking it all in … in a good way,” Janet Tran, a student, told CBS2?s Joy Benedict.

After capturing the crown, Campbell told KCAL9's Cristy Fajardo that she finally feels accepted after years of feeling that she didn’t fit in.

“Knowing that it was only my school and only my student body makes it even more special because they voted for me,” said Campbell. “They all wanted me, and the majority wanted me to win.”

She added, “Whether I won tonight or not, I was a winner from the beginning and I knew it. I put my message out there. If this can help one child or more or hundreds or thousands or millions, then it was more than worth it,” said Campbell.

Outside of the Old Confederacy, it's not all that hard for politicians to back equality for gay men and women. All they have to do is follow their constituents. Most Americans are finished with the divisiveness and bigotry that targeted gay people. Most Americans even support same sex marriage now-- even if extreme right-wingers and the GOP politicians who fear them do not. In the latest Gallup survey on the topic only 43% of Americans say they would vote against gay marriage in a referendum. 52% say they would vote in favor. The South is the only region of the country where support flags.

Gallup used two separate approaches to measure public support for gay marriage this month, and they produced similar results: 52% would vote for a federal law legalizing same-sex marriages in all 50 states, and 54% think gay marriages should be recognized as valid, with the same rights as marriages between men and women. This adds to the body of evidence in Gallup trends that public opinion on gay marriage has reached a tipping point, whereby the majority now clearly supports it. Nevertheless, the issue remains highly divisive, as large majorities of left-leaning, nonreligious, and younger Americans endorse it, while right-leaning, religious, and older Americans still oppose it.

• East- 62% favor
• West- 57% favor
• Midwest- 51% favor
• South- 51% oppose

Much tougher for politicians is anything revolving around transgender people. That's a far off frontier for most Americans-- many fear the whole idea of it-- and it takes the bravest of the brave politicians-- the polar opposite of the closeted hypocrites like Rohrabacher-- to get anywhere near it. Transgender rights isn't an issue we ask candidates about at Blue America. Strength of character is though and I was floored when Carl Sciortino told me how he had fought an uphill-- but ultimately winning-- battle for transgender equality in the Massachusetts state legislature. It helped persuade us what kind of a political leader he would be. And I noticed that a group calling itself Trans United For Progress-- for Carl Sciortino started an ActBlue page to back his campaign.