8/2/2004: Comedian Margaret Cho was invited to perform at the LGBT Unity 2004 event in Boston during the Democratic National Convention. She was uninvited from the event by Human Rights Campaign, which was one of the ten organizations that were part of the event. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force withdrew from the event when it heard about the uninvitation. The NGLTF had recently given Cho a Task Force Leadership Award, and she has been given a variety of awards in the past. Margaret Cho is an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights, and she has spoken at several pro-same-sex marriage rallies in Northern California.
"I am not surprised at the reversal in light of how the Kerry campaign distanced itself from Whoopi's routine in response to the unrelenting media hype and Republican criticism," said Margaret Cho's manager, Karen Taussig. "It's Whoopi's job as a comedian to say things that are sometimes shocking. I wish they could have backed her up. Dennis Miller can make gay jokes about Senators Kerry and Edwards at a recent Bush rally in Wisconsin to a complete absence of media scrutiny. No one demanded a tape of that event or alleged that his comments as a comedian might reflect poorly on Bush."

Margaret Cho's press release about the uninvitation | Margaret Cho's Blog | MargaretCho.net | BuzzFlash Interview with Margaret Cho | Original Flyer from the event | Gay Geeks | Margaret Cho's State of Emergency Tour