(Denver, Colorado) More than 350 National Stonewall Democrats from across the country have arrived in Denver for four days of meetings, parties, and lobbying ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

The organization has had a key role in helping shape the Democratic Party platform – the most positive LGBT platform in memory.

It calls for passage of expanded hate crime legislation and a comprehensive employment discrimination bill while not specifically saying both pieces of legislation would directly affect LGBT people. It does, however, use the term gender identity.

The platform also calls for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the ban on LGBT people serving openly in the military, and for the first time it calls for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act used to bar gay and lesbian couples from receiving federal benefits.

The platform additionally calls for the full inclusion of same-sex couples and their families and for a national strategy to combat HIV/AIDS.

But in a nod to party conservatives, the platform carefully avoids using the specific words gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

The Stonewall convention agenda touts a “boot camp” for gay activists within the party to help them when they return home to elect pro-gay politicians.

In an indication of the group’s growing clout within the Democratic Party, several key party members will make appearances. Among them, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

Governor Sebelius will speak at Stonewall’s dinner Saturday evening. The next morning, Governor Patrick will speak at a Sunday brunch.

Also speaking at the conference will be Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard; openly gay political commentator Keith Boykin; and NY state assembly member Danny O’Donnell.

The LGBT representation at the Democratic National Convention this year is the highest ever. The 358 delegates represent approximately six percent of total convention attendees and is 27 percent increase from the 282 LGBT participants who attended the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004.

365gay.com editor in chief Jennifer Vanasco will reporting from the convention all next week.