The vice president arrived, Lombardo tells Variety, and instead of going outside to work the crowd, 'He sat down and talked to our kids - and to us - as a human. Lombardo, his spouse Sonny Ward and their two children, opened their Los Angeles home to Biden. Michael Lombardo attends the 'All The Way' Los Angeles Premiere at Paramount Studios on in Hollywood City. But for monied LGBTQ people in the entertainment industry - who had supported Obama in 2008, only to see California's discriminatory Proposition 8 pass during his election - they wanted more from the administration than just rescinding a few hateful policies of the past. Sure, Obama had signed a bill in 2010 repealing the Clinton administration's disastrous military policy, 'don't ask, don't tell ' and yes, the following year, Obama had instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act.
As President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden sought re-election, Hollywood's queer community felt that the administration had not done enough.
Not a fundraiser, mind you - but a meet-and-greet for the vice president to reach out to LGBTQ people in the entertainment industry. LOS ANGELES - In the spring of 2012, the gay rights organization the Human Rights Campaign asked Michael Lombardo, then the president of HBO, to host an event for Vice President Joe Biden.
