Why does working on a campaign make anyone's sexual preference fair game for national discussion. Maybe the candidate, but a worker? Mary Cheney isn't running for office.
This is not a new democrat campaign trick. It's an attempt to influence voters who might discern a negative association between the opposing candidate and gays. While appearing to be sympathetic with gays, the dem appeals what he/she discerns to be the worst in his opponents base.
The party of the opponent doesn't matter either. An example was that democrat "paragon" who also by the way, originated the Willie Horton issue. Yes, I'm talking about Mario Cuomo. He used this against Ed Koch in a failed attempt to defeat Koch in the NYC mayors race. The insinuation was that since Koch made a campaign visit to a gay organization and is single...well, Mario fully expected the voters of NYC to connect the dots. It mattered not that Cuomo had visited the same group earlier the same day.
The point is that; they hope that, once it's out there and the idea is planted, some damage will be done. Very sleazy and hypocritical.