I wanted to capture a link to this essay. In 2001 Stephanie Dziczek of Kentucky won the 2001 Profiles in Courage Essay contest. Her subject: Howard Dean and his support for equal rights for all Americans.

Dean made the "extension of the rights and benefits of the [Vermont] constitution to all Vermonters, regardless of their sexual orientation" (Dean) the heart of his campaign for acceptance and understanding. Over the next six months, Dean fought harder for open-mindedness than for votes. He spoke against the "Take Back Vermont" movement, his most serious Election Day threat, stating that he never wanted to take Vermont back to "a time when it was okay to discriminate against people"

[...] Minority champions like Dean, with the courage to hold principle and respect for all people above common opinion, are the reasons that today women can vote, African Americans are legally protected from discrimination, and homosexuals can engage in civil unions.