When I last wrote for this site, 2008 was gearing up to be a pretty dreary one for LGBT hopes in electoral politics.

I used the vacation to get out of the house, away from the computer and into a movie theater or two. Seeing Milk (much too late, I agree) did very little to raise my spirits about American politics – the obvious comparison between proposition 8 and proposition 6 is too glaring – but it did cause me to reevaluate my commitment to getting gay individuals into political positions.

Being a gay candidate has never been sufficient to earn my support. Identity politics are essential to the fabric of any society, but they can’t be the be all and end all of a voting strategy.

Still, when the fight for full rights for LGBT Americans is so heated, one wonders if, for now, being gay should be enough. I mean, I felt good about Harvey Milk after two hours of Sean Penn and as far as the movie let on, Milk was for gay rights, against dog poop and not concerned with much else (of course there is more to Milk’s time in office, but the reaction still stands).

So, on New Year’s Day, Sam Adams, the first openly gay mayor of a large city, was sworn into office. It’s a cause for celebration, even if his liberal stance on housing and education upsets you. Visibility, as Milk demonstrated, is essential if this country is going to complete its slow march to civil equality.

At the same time, Tammy Baldwin will be one of the co-chairs for Obama’s inauguration, Kathleen Sibelius, a politician who openly opposed a constitutional ban on gay marriage in her state, is on the short list for Richardson’s replacement as commerce secretary, and Jared Polis has taken the leap from state education politics to Congress.

Perhaps an emphasis on visibility is just a chance to feel a bit hopeful when the mainstream political movement on LGBT issues is on hiatus. Still, the courts can’t win this battle without a little ground support. And nothing indicates ground support like voting for openly gay politicians.