Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang Will Skip the 2020 Democratic HRC/CNN LGBTQ Town Hall

Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang are the only major Democratic 2020 candidates that will be skipping the Human Rights Campaign/CNN LGBTQ Town Hall scheduled for October 10 in Los Angeles. Yang and Sanders cited scheduling conflicts, according to CNN.

CNN released the following schedule.

• Businessman Tom Steyer will be interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash at 7 p.m.
• New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker will be interviewed by Bash at 7:30 p.m.
• Former Vice President Joe Biden will be interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper at 8 p.m.
• California Sen. Kamala Harris, will be interviewed by Cooper at 8:30 p.m.
• Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be interviewed by CNN’s Chris Cuomo at 9 p.m.
• South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be interviewed by Cuomo at 9:30 p.m.
• Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke will be interviewed by CNN’s Don Lemon at 10 p.m.
• Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar will be interviewed by Lemon at 10:30 p.m.
• Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro will be interviewed by Cooper at 11 p.m.

“Additional invitations will be extended to candidates who meet the DNC qualifications before September 25,” the network reported.

CNN reported: “HRC said the October 10 primetime event, airing live on the eve of National Coming Out Day, will feature the largest ever audience for a Democratic presidential town hall devoted to LGBTQ issues. The candidates will take questions from the audience and CNN journalists on specific LGBTQ concerns as well as their plans to promote equality and civility.”

“CNN will air the event exclusively live during prime time on CNN and CNN en Español, across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV,” according to HRC. “For reference, CNN’s July Democratic Presidential Debate drew more than 10.7 million viewers. The live audience will be comprised of HRC members, supporters and community leaders. Tickets will be invitation-only.”

Said HRC President Alphonso David: “For nearly 40 years, the Human Rights Campaign has fought to realize a world in which LGBTQ people are safe, equal and free in every aspect of our lives. Today, at a time when our most basic civil rights and democratic values are under attack, our work has never been more urgent. We are eager to hear from this field of Democratic presidential candidates about how they plan to win full federal equality, defend the fundamental equality of LGBTQ people, and protect the most vulnerable among us — both here in the United States and around the globe — from stigma, institutional inequality, discrimination, and violence.”