Dennis McShane & Rich Gordon

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Richard S. Gordon (born July 3, 1948) is an American politician from Menlo Park, California who currently serves in the California State Assembly. A Democrat, he formerly served for 13 years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. Gordon is openly gay; his partner since 1987 is Dr. Dennis McShane. The couple were married on August 16, 2008 during the brief window of legal same-sex marriages in California that ended with the passage of Proposition 8 in November 2008. He is one of eight members of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, which he chairs.

Gordon, a fourth generation Californian, was born and raised in San Mateo County before his family moved to Orange County whilst he was in his teens. He then attended the University of Southern California, working at Disneyland to fund his studies. He graduated from USC in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.

On leaving USC, Gordon became a minister in the United Methodist Church, receiving a Masters of Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in 1973. He returned to San Mateo County in 1976, working for the YMCA in Redwood City. He later worked for Youth and Family Assistance.

Gordon first ran for public office in 1992, seeking a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Education. He defeated an incumbent to take the seat and was re-elected in 1996.

When Ted Lempert was elected to the Assembly in 1996, a vacancy opened up on Board of Supervisors and Gordon ran for the seat. In the special election held on April 8, 1997, Gordon took 41% of the vote in a seven-candidate field and was elected. He was re-elected in 1998, 2002 and 2006.


California State Assembly 21st District Candidate Rich Gordon thanks his husband, Dennis McShane, for his support, while celebrating at his campaign party at the Lucie Stern Community Center on election night, June 8, 2010. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Online.
Rich Gordon is an American politician from Menlo Park who currently serves in the California State Assembly. A Democrat, he formerly served for 13 years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. His partner since 1987 is Dr. Dennis McShane. The couple were married on August 16, 2008 during the window of legal same-sex marriages in California that ended with the passage of Proposition 8 in November 2008. He is one of eight members of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, which he chairs.


©Scott R. Kline, Courtesy of Rich Gordon. Rich Gordon (©15)

When Assemblyman Ira Ruskin (D-Redwood City) was termed out of the California State Assembly in 2010, Gordon declared his candidacy for the seat. He was one of three Democrats to file for the seat and, in the primary election held on June 8, 2010, he took 39% of the vote. His nearest challenger was almost 2,000 votes behind on 31.5%. He took 60% of the vote in the general election, beating Republican and Libertarian opponents who took 35% and 5% respectively.

Gordon served as Chairman of the Assembly's Business & Professions Committee. In June 2012, the Speaker named Gordon Chairman of the Committee on Rules.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Gordon

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
Amazon: Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time

Days of Love chronicles more than 700 LGBT couples throughout history, spanning 2000 years from Alexander the Great to the most recent winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Many of the contemporary couples share their stories on how they met and fell in love, as well as photos from when they married or of their families. Included are professional portraits by Robert Giard and Stathis Orphanos, paintings by John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, and photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnson, Arnold Genthe, and Carl Van Vechten among others. “It's wonderful. Laying it out chronologically is inspired, offering a solid GLBT history. I kept learning things. I love the decision to include couples broken by death. It makes clear how important love is, as well as showing what people have been through. The layout and photos look terrific.” Christopher Bram “I couldn’t resist clicking through every page. I never realized the scope of the book would cover centuries! I know that it will be hugely validating to young, newly-emerging LGBT kids and be reassured that they really can have a secure, respected place in the world as their futures unfold.” Howard Cruse “This international history-and-photo book, featuring 100s of detailed bios of some of the most forward-moving gay persons in history, is sure to be one of those bestsellers that gay folk will enjoy for years to come as reference and research that is filled with facts and fun.” Jack Fritscher