CNN Announces Lineup And Moderators For LGBTQ Town Hall

Ted Johnson

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Nine presidential candidates are scheduled to participate in a CNN town hall on LGBTQ issues on October 10, an event that will focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

The network has so far allotted 4 1/2 hours to the event, which is less than the seven hours CNN telecast for its climate town hall earlier this month.

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The October 10 town hall will take place at The Novo in downtown Los Angeles and is being organized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

The plans are for two candidates to appear back to back each hour, and to answer questions from an audience.

Tom Steyer and Cory Booker will appear in the first hour, from 7-8 PM ET, with Dana Bash interviewing and moderating. Then Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are scheduled with Anderson Cooper, followed by Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg with Chris Cuomo, Beto O’Rourke and Amy Klobuchar with Don Lemon and Julian Castro with Cooper at 11 PM.

Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang declined an invite to participate, citing scheduling conflicts, according to CNN. The criteria for participation is the same as it has been for the third and fourth presidential debates. Candidates have polled at least 2 percent in at least four national or early state polls. They also have to draw at least 130,000 unique donors in at least 20 states. HRC may extend additional invites if a candidate meets the threshold by September 25.

Some of the candidates already are scheduling fundraising events around the town hall. Joe Biden is scheduled to headline a lunchtime fundraiser on October 10 at the home of producer Michael Lombardo and his husband, architect Sonny Ward.

HRC sponsored a candidates forum in August 2007, also held in Los Angeles and aired on Logo.

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