Get Drunk and Vote at Revive Thursdays

Six of the eight Democratic presidential contenders for 2008 will be participating in a forum that will air on the gay-themed network Logo at 9 p.m. on Aug. 9. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, former senators John Edwards and Mike Gravel, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and New Mexico's Gov. Bill Richardson will field questions on a range of LGBT issues from a panel of questioners comprised of openly gay Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart, Bloomberg News columnist Margaret Carlson, lesbian rocker Melissa Etheridge and Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Joe Solmonese.

The forum, which is cosponsored by HRC and Logo, comes as Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) a national gay and lesbian market research firm, released survey results showing that more more than 92 percent of gay men reported that they voted in the 2004 presidential election and nearly 84 percent voted in the 2006 mid-term election. Similarly, 91 percent of lesbian respondents voted in 2004, with 78 percent reporting that they cast a ballot in the last mid-term election. The data is based on responses from "more than 12,000 gay Americans and 10,000 lesbian Americans" surveyed by CMI last spring.

By comparison, CMI points to media estimations that 64 percent of the general population went to the polls in 2004 while just 40 percent voted in 2006.

While we'd like to think that those numbers would embolden the candidates to more forcefully advocate for LGBT rights, based on what we've heard so far on the campaign trail, we won't hold our breath.

But we will raise a glass. Revive Thursday, Club Caf? and Dyke Night Productions's new lesbian night, is hosting a debate-watching party in the club's back room. And in honor of the Big Event, we've concocted a few surefire ways to make sure the gang gets crocked while watching the candidates try to sell us on civil unions.

Here are a few opportunities to tip that martini:

Every time a candidate says, "I'm just not there yet."

Every time Clinton comes out against an anti-gay policy implemented during her husband's presidency.

Whenever Solmonese uses the phrase "gay American" or any variation thereof (i.e. "LGBT Americans," "gay and lesbian Americans").

Whenever Clinton talks with a gay accent.

Bonus: Empty your glass if Richardson calls Solmonese "maric?n."