Greg in Hollywood goes to Politicon!

The assignment was covering the “LGBTQ in the 21st Century” panel during opening day of Politicon 2017 in Pasadena as part of my job at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

The Center’s terrific Deputy Director of Policy & Community Building Terra Russell Slavin was part of the five person panel which I’ve written all about for our Vanguard Blog that you can read HERE.

Clay Aiken was a part of the panel and grew so incensed when a conservative audience member began making more of a long-winded statement than asking a question that he said to the moderator: ‘Cut his mic off!’

Since I had a two-day pass, I ended up attending several panels, a comedy show (Comedy Central’s Anthony Atamanuik’s Trump impersonation is scary funny – see videos below) and also roaming the exhibition hall looking for photo ops with MSNBC props and personalities.

My Center colleague Jim Key and I had fun chatting with MSNBC’s Jacob Soboroff who was well aware he had been featured as a Greg in Hollywood Morning Man a few years ago. His colleague Steve Kornacki had not been aware that he too is a Morning Man alum (and a big crush of mine!).

It should come as no surprise that I live largely in a big liberal bubble so I’ve never shared space with so many conservatives before.

Thousands and thousands of them.

It was fascinating.

I found myself observing people in the audience at panels, in line for panels, witnessed some tense moments and saw first-hand the deep political divide in this country.

And somehow,
we co-existed for an entire weekend and I think we were all better for it.

I will most certainly be back next year.