Although she never disavowed her private life (Tomlin and partner Jane Wagner have been going strong for almost 35 years), Tomlin wanted to avoid being tagged as the new poster gal for the gay movement.

Tomlin has strong ties to the Lone Star State — she's one of Ann Richards' famous allies. When Richards (a two-time Black Tie Dinner keynote) first ran for governor, Tomlin's friendship fueled rumors that the democratic candidate might be a closeted lesbian. And we'll never forget that George W. Bush beat Richards in the '94 governor's race.

The current political landscape and the future of our country make Tomlin cringe. While waiting in her “West Wing” trailer, she's reminded of the theme for the Black Tie Dinner: “Imagine Tomorrow,” which sets her off on a political rant.

Dallas Voice: When you visit Texas, do you ascribe a lot of things to the Lone Start State — that it's a bastion of conservatism and the state the Bushes calls home?

Didn't you used to own land along the Pedernales River near Lake Austin? I did. I wish I didn't sell it, damn it. I was honestly thinking about building a house there.

If you hadn't, perhaps people wouldn't associate the Bushes with Texas — they'd associate you and Ann Richards. That would be nice. I think anything that associates me with Ann Richards is okay.

She spoke at the 2003 Black Tie Dinner and beat the Democratic drum. The speech was spellbinding. So what message will you bring to the Lone Star State? The theme is “Imagine Tomorrow,” right? Or am I hallucinating?

You're correct. Do you like that theme? Isn't it scary? From the vantage point right now, it's pretty daunting. But you can't give up. God knows it gets harder every day. I'm already worried about the next election.

Are you paranoid? About the elections, I am, and about the strategy. Who knew Texans were so strategic? They're completely strategic. And anything that goes wrong — and this started with Reagan and Nixon — they just stonewall it. What passes for loyalty predominates anything — even the welfare of the country. It's more important to be loyal to your cronies and to whoever has made a big fudged-up mess of stuff.

Who knew Texans were so strategic? You did. Didn't Karl Rove supposedly use your friendship with Ann Richards to start a lesbian whispering campaign? Oh, absolutely. That happened in the first election — they would say, “and her thespian friend,” making a big deal of it in the Texas newspapers.

That's why I didn't attend her inaugural. I wanted her to succeed, thrive and survive, so I avoided the inaugural because there was such an emphasis on that, which was completely unfounded in her case.

When the system is that rotten, it knocks the core out of you. That's why we don't have any decent politicians. They either have to be questionable, so that the strategic people behind them can exploit them, or they're already so corrupt that it doesn't matter.

Did you know that, on Nov. 8, Texas voters will decide on a constitutional ban for same-sex marriages? I wasn't aware of that. That's astonishing.

Just by bringing up abortion and same-sex marriage amendments galvanizes people. It's absolutely divisive. And then everything else — like the war in Iraq — regresses against it. They act as if they don't care about anything except abortion and gay marriage, like it's the end of the world.

Instead of looking to Washington to lead the way, do you think Texas could lay the foundation for queer protest culture for the rest of the nation? Why not? If you could only get that kind of visibility. Where are you going to get the visibility? There's no media.

Is she the great hope for the democrats? Oh, God. I don't want to say she's not just yet. I just wish Hillary were saying something about what's going on. Even the Iraqi war — that she was wrong about the war in Iraq. Now they all say they were bulldozed into voting for it because they didn't get the right information. Oh, it's such crap, I can't even bear it.

Nobody has a core, because you can't survive in the political system with any kind of core. And the right wing has got the media so tied up. We've got a little bit of a voice that's countering with Air America and a few things like that. But they got rid of Bill Moyers — they're turning PBS into a right-wing vehicle.

I cringe at “Imagine Tomorrow,” I do. When the corporations and the government are completely in alignment, you're talking about fascism. The corporations are running the army now. But you can't be scared. You've got to be fierce.

What can the gay community pat itself on the back about? I thank God we got this far. If we didn't, we'd be crushed. If we've made a blip on the radar screen, it's that we're a force to be reckoned with. There's a tremendous force in the gay community. There's an incredible amount of smart people who have resources. And in spite of people being murdered, hurt, beat and ostracized, this was somehow meant to be. At least we're a force to oppose the status quo.

Who rules the roost in the Tomlin-Wagner household? Oh, Miss Wagner does. All of us — including the assistants — we all do everything we can to please her. And she automatically vibrates to it. She's like the queen bee, and I'm worker bee.

2,770 guests attended the 2004 dinner, which netted $1,120,000 to local and national beneficiaries, increasing the event's 24-year cumulative fundraising total to nearly $8 million.

The keynote speaker is Lily Tomlin. Sharon Stone will be presented with the 2005 Elizabeth Birch Equality Award. HRC president Joe Solmonese, Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez will also make special appearances.

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