Sanders, Yang to miss CNN’s town hall on LGBTQ issues

Presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and entrepreneur Andrew Yang have declined an upcoming CNN town hall on LGBTQ issues, citing “scheduling conflicts,” according to a network release. 

The Oct. 11 town hall, hosted by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, will be broadcast live from Los Angeles for 4 1/2 hours starting at 7 p.m.

“HRC says it will be the largest audience for a Democratic presidential town hall devoted to LGBTQ issues,” CNN said this week.

{mosads}The town hall will feature nine Democratic candidates in 30-minute intervals: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (Texas), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) and former hedge fund manager and activist Tom Steyer. 

The event will be moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, along with chief political correspondent Dana Bash. 

The network also ran a 7 1/2–hour single-issue themed town hall earlier this month focusing on climate change.