Former Pa. Congressman to Attend Fire Island Fundraiser

Former Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy is scheduled to attend a fundraiser for his state attorney general campaign in Fire Island Pines, N.Y., on Sunday, June 5.

Murphy, an Iraq war veteran who was a captain in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division before suburban Philadelphia voters first elected him to Congress in 2006, lost his re-election bid last November. He declared his candidacy for Pennsylvania attorney general in April, but Murphy remains a highly respected figure among LGBT activists for spearheading the passage of the 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal bill late last year.

"Kicking out servicemembers willing to put their lives on the line for their country is wrong and it hurts our national security," he told LGBT bloggers in Oct. 2010. Murphy told those who attended Equality Forum's annual International Equality Dinner in Philadelphia in late April that DADT "bothered me to my core."

"It is important that we continue to stand for something," he added.

Murphy is certainly not the first politician to follow the money to Fire Island.

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean, U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.] and Maria Cantwell [D-Wash.] are among those who have stumped for cash on the beach in recent years. Congressman Barney Frank [D-Mass.] frequently visits DNC Treasurer Andrew Tobias at his Pines home, but his reported tantrum at the Sayville ferry terminal last July found its way onto Page 6.

In an interview with the Fire Island News in the Pines last August, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D-N.Y.] touted her support of the repeal of both DADT and the Defense of Marriage Act. She also applauded U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that found California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

"It was a huge success for America and the gay rights agenda," said Gillibrand. "It is a wonderful step in the right direction because anytime you can guarantee marriage equality; we move one step towards full equality for gay and lesbian Americans."

Visit Murphy's campaign Web site for more information.