LGBT LEADER from Hope gets spotlight.

PHILADELPHIA — Two nights after former President Bill Clinton spoke, another Hope native will address the Democratic National Convention tonight, calling on Americans to back presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in November.

Chad Griffin, a former Ouachita Baptist University student, worked on the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign and was hired to work at the White House when he was just 19 years old.

After leaving the White House, he became a political consultant and was an early backer of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid.

In 2009, he helped found the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization that spearheaded the fight to invalidate Proposition 8, California’s anti-gay-rights ballot measure.

Griffin, 43, now leads the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest group supporting rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

In January, less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the Human Rights Campaign threw its support behind Clinton.

Griffin said then that Clinton is “the champion we can count on in November — and every day she occupies the Oval Office.”

Although born in Hope, Griffin grew up in Arkadelphia.

“My family now lives in Hot Springs, so for a kid like me to have an opportunity like that, it’s pretty exciting,” he said Monday. “I view it as a real special honor to be able to represent the thousands and thousands of people who can’t be in that room, the thousands of LGBT people all around this country and in places like Hope … who will only be able to watch it on TV and read about it.”

Although he didn’t know precisely when his speech would begin, he knew what his goal would be — to contrast Clinton and vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and vice presidential nominee Mike Pence.

“You know, I have been excited about Hillary for a very long time. She has the experience and the energy we need at this moment in history,” he said. For his community, it’s “hard to find a grander champion in this country than Hillary Clinton,” he said.

The last time Clinton ran, she, President Barack Obama and others opposed gay marriage. By 2012, however, they had embraced marriage equality.

Today, gays can marry in all 50 states. They can serve openly in the U.S. military. And they’re a large and visible bloc in the Democratic Party.

This year, about 11 percent of the delegates identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, party officials said. That’s up from roughly 8 percent in 2012.

“There’s no question we have made unprecedented progress in these last eight years under President Obama,” Griffin said. But a Republican victory in November threatens to undermine the advancement gays have made, he added.

“As you know, much of our progress either came through executive order or by court action. Donald Trump and Mike Pence will roll all of that back and will do nothing to propel us forward in terms of equality in this country,” he said.

When Griffin steps to the microphone this evening, his relatives will be doing their part to boost the television ratings.

His mom, stepfather, sister and nephews will all tune in tonight to see him speak. Griffin said that they’re “very proud and supportive.”