Colichman, who had been a die-hard Hillary Clinton supporter, told the Post that he was getting over his disappointment at Clinton's loss and "had literally written out a check to the Obama campaign" when he saw Obama tell the Saddleback Civil Forum a week ago that although he supports civil unions he defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

"I thought, 'Wow! He just threw the gay community under the bus,'" Colichman said. "My partner looked over at me, and we tore up the check."

Since then, other gay activists have pointed out that Hillary Clinton doesn't support gay marriage either. James Hipps of the gay marketing firm Vibe Media told the Post, "For our gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender rights to continue to grow and not further diminish, then we need to stand behind [Obama]. Good luck with your life, Mr. Colichman. I hope you get to sleep well at night after McCain becomes elected. Shame on you."

Neal Boulton, the editor of Genre, similarly said, "I openly -- no, flamingly -- endorse Obama, whether he says he's for gay marriage or not. . . . I know under Obama, it will only be a matter of time until the country sees the legalization of gay marriage."

Several blogs which refer

to this Post item also indicate that Boulton was quoted there as saying, "By tearing up his check for Obama, he basically wrote one to McCain." That sentence was apparently removed by the Post, perhaps to counter any implication that Colichman is actively helping McCain.

Colichman, who is the co-founder of a gay-oriented cable network and owns a gay entertainment Internet portal, recently entered into a multi-million dollar deal to buy the Advocate, Out, and related publications. He is also the co-producer of The Hunting of the President: The 10-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton.