The country’s top LGBT journalists are meeting now in San Diego, and the timing couldn’t have been more appropriate. Senator Craig’s now-infamous bathroom visit is of course a red-hot topic, offering a living, breathing example of how the mainstream media handles LGBT-related news. Even as reporters, editors, producers, bloggers and PR professionals sit in panel discussions that inevitably turn to this still-breaking story, BlackBerries and iPhones are buzzing with the latest tidbits and outrages. It’s a little surreal, to tell you the truth.

Tomorrow the Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrief will host a panel on the 2008 political season. Speakers will include political reporters and bloggers, consultants, and Victory’s very own Jason Mida. I’ll be live-blogging at this site, so check back at 1pm Eastern.

Cross-posted on The Hill newspaper’s Congress Blog.

I’ve never been to Idaho, but it doesn’t sound like the most hospitable state for gays and lesbians. Yet, State Rep. Nicole LeFavour (D-Boise), a lesbian, was elected by her constituents in 2004 and serves her state openly and honestly. Some 20 other states still have no openly gay or lesbian state legislators, so that’s saying something. Nicole was drawn to public service, but was unwilling to hide and lie–and that, as they say, has made all the difference.

The truth is most Americans don’t care much about the sexual orientation of their representatives, so long as their representatives trust them enough to be honest. A recent Zogby poll commissioned by the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute found that roughly 70% of respondents would vote for an openly gay or lesbian candidate if they agreed with his or her political views. The numbers weren’t much different among Republicans and Democrats.

I don’t know if Senator Craig is gay, nor do I know if any current member of the Senate is closeted, but it will not be long before an openly gay Senator wins a seat in that august body. And while that will be tremendous step forward, it will be no big deal if one of a handful of openly gay congressional candidates wins a seat in the House next year. Once broken, barriers tend to bore us.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) often uses a line I think broadly sums up the attitude of the electorate on this issue: Most Americans aren’t homophobic; they just think they’re supposed to be. Until, that is, they meet public servants like Nicole LeFavour.

The Idaho-Statesman has been investigating for months claims that Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) is secretly gay. Read all about it here.

So, Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) has confirmed he was arrested for lewd conduct in an airport men’s room in June. He reportedly plead guilty and paid a fine, though his office today called the incident a “he said/he said” misunderstanding. (That may go down as one of the worst crisis quotes of the year.)

I don’t know if Sen. Craig is gay. I’ve heard the rumors and read the kerfuffle caused by Mike Rogers’ outing him earlier this year. All I can say is this: Gay people serve as elected officials at all levels of government, and many of them do so openly, honestly and with distinction. Even in Craig’s home state of Idaho, state Rep. Nicole LeFavour, who was elected in 2004, never hid her sexual orientation and she was embraced by her community and her fellow lawmakers.

Compared to those who hide and lie, public servants like Rep. LeFavour look like heroes.

Oakland Park, Florida Mayor Larry Gierer has some choice words for Ft. Lauderdale’s gay-baiting Mayor Jim Naugle: “He should think a little bit more before he speaks…But the scary part is, maybe he is thinking.” Read more in the Sun-Sentinel.