(Washington) A record number of LGBT delegates will attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver, according to the party’s gay wing, the National Stonewall Democrats.

This would represent approximately 6 percent of total convention attendees and is a 27 percent increase from the 282 LGBT participants who attended the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004.

“The Democratic Party is being positively shaped by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates who believe in Democratic principles of fair play, hard work, security at home and equal opportunity for all,” said Jon Hoadley, Stonewall Democrats Executive Director. 

“The Democratic National Convention is an avenue for our community to participate in civic life and advance the values that the majority of Americans share. Many of our brightest elected officials, chapter leaders and party officers began their participation in Democratic politics as delegates to past conventions and by increasing the number of LGBT participants, we are growing the ranks of future Democratic leaders,”  she said.

Hoadley said that the unofficial count is based on numbers reported by state Democratic parties to the Secretary’s Office of the Democratic National Committee.

Some delegates are newcomers to conventions, others have attended earlier ones. 

Christopher Pappas of New Hampshire was the first delegate elected in 2008. The treasurer of Hillsborough County, Pappas was elected as a pledged delegate to Hillary Clinton.

Jason Rae of Wisconsin, who – at 21 – is the youngest “super delegate” in the nation, has declared his delegate vote for Barack Obama. Rae is a Member of the Democratic National Committee LGBT Americans Caucus.

Jane Bradshaw was elected as a pledged delegate to Barack Obama from Atlanta. This will be the first national convention for Bradshaw.

Stonewall Democrats has founded Pride in the Party to increase interest in the party by LGBT voters.

Most delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention were elected by Democratic voters within their congressional district and approved by the presidential campaigns which they sought to represent. Often complex, the procedures for becoming a delegate vary greatly from state to state. The Stonewall delegates formed the group Pride in the Party to help LGBT Democrats navigate the particular requirements of each state and to run successful campaigns to win delegate positions.

The Democratic National Convention will be held Aug. 25 through Aug. 28.