http://www.gaypolitics.com/2010/05/13/young-gay-candidate-hopes-for-upset-in-louisville/
Young, gay candidate hopes for upset in Louisville

It takes a little extra fortitude to battle an incumbent from your own party who’s served in the State House for 28 years, especially when you’re openly gay and just 28 years old yourself, and especially in Kentucky. But that hasn’t deterred Mike Slaton, an openly gay Louisville man who’s charging headlong into Tuesday’s primary with strong support in an increasingly progressive district.

Slaton is hoping to unseat Rep. Thomas Riner, a Democrat whose ultra-conservative views on the place of religion in government have put him outside the mainstream in Kentucky’s 41st House District. According to LEO Weekly, a Louisville paper:

Riner caught flak for legislation he introduced in 2002 and again in 2006 mandating that language recognizing God’s role in protecting the commonwealth from terrorist attacks be included in the state’s homeland security bill, as well as mandating the Ten Commandments be displayed in courthouses across the state. While national “hot-button” issues like abortion and gay rights rarely factor into smaller-scale elections like this, Riner’s piety has cost the state nearly half a million dollars in legal fees in lost case after lost case in defense against the American Civil Liberties Union.

Riner, perhaps in a bid to endear himself to progressive primary voters, says he admires Slaton’s decision to run for office out of the closet:

“I like Mike,” says Riner. “What I like most about him is that he’s forthright. I’ve got more in common with Mike than I do my conservative friends. It’s very important, I think, that he can share things about his partner in an open way. Most gay politicians get married (to a woman) and do whatever they have to do to save their career. But (Mike is) very forthright, and I respect that. At the beginning of the campaign, I told him, ‘I know you’re not listening to your political advisers.’”

Learn more about Mike’s campaign here.