Fred Karger is definitely an interesting figure. He worked on nine presidential campaigns and served as a senior consultant to the campaigns of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford. Then in 2012 he ran for President himself.
What was particularly unusual about that is that after working with and for all those Presidents, Karger came out as gay, and his Presidential run was the first time an out-gay person has tried to get the nomination from one of the major US parties. And while many had assumed that when a gay Presidential candidate emerged it would be a Demncrat, Karger is a Republican.
Now a new documentary, Fred, is taking a look at Karger’s life and his attempt to become President – an action he took not because he expected to end up in the White House, but initially to throw a spanner in the works of Mitt Romney’s campaign and later to fight against the bigotry of the likes of Michelle Bachman. He also took the opportunity to highlight gay rights and causes and to try and engage LGBT people and organisations in politics.
The trailer for the film is now here, so take a look at it above. [Read more…]