Obama's Campaign Reaches Out to LGBT Community with Ad Buys in Texas, Ohio

(UPDATE: The Obama campaign has released another open letter to the LGBT community. It went up first on The Bilerico Project. The text is below the fold.)

The Advocate reports that Obama's not taking any votes for granted as the campaign launched a targeted ad buy courting the LGBT communities in Ohio and Texas.

Full-page ads will appear starting this Friday in Outlook Weekly of Columbus, the Gay People's Chronicle of Cleveland, the Dallas Voice, and OutSmart, which is Houston-based. Buying afull-page, four-color ad that appears one time typically costs anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000 in weekly publications. In the Gay People's Chronicle, for instance, the ad cost about $850, according to the paper's advertising manager;the same ad went for about $1,500 in the Dallas Voice.

Towleroad has two of the ads.

Question: for folks who have already had an opportunity to vote, did Clinton or Obama do any LGBT-specific outreach like this in your states (that you know of)? Just curious, because I'd expect it in larger, more Blue markets, but given the importance of these two Red states in next week's primary, it makes sense to try and snare each and every vote.

For instance, this is a real sign of recognition and support of the LGBT communities in Red states. It would be welcome news to see candidates do this kind of high-profile courting of LGBTs in North Carolina (if our May 6 primary ends up in play).