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PORTLAND

Speaking into a bullhorn, he urged the protesters to continue pushing for legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states, but he urged them not to embark that day on an unwarranted progressive development.

“This community is watching us, the nation is attention us,” he said. “They are going to hold us for what we do today, and today we do not have a allow to march

The populace laughed at the not-so-frequent moment when Adams’ national activism and his civil role crossed paths. Adams smiled.

Adams, 45, was sworn into work at 12:01 a.m. Thursday at City Hall. It made Portland, population estimated at 575,000, the largest incorporated town in the nation to elect an openly gay mayor.

Seven months ago, he won with 58 percent of the vote in a primary race against a travel-agency owner and other, less well known, candidates. That meant he didn’t have to run in a November runoff election.

He didn’t campaign in continuance gay rights or social issues. “I’m running not to be a gay mayor, but a great mayor,” he said.

None of Adams’ opponents raised his sexuality in the quality. Neither did he.

“This is a testament to how fair-minded Portlanders are that it wasn’t an issue,” Adams said. “I dissipate my time on the basic issues of animated existence. A part of that includes equal rights, but that’s not even close to a majority of the time.”

Gay, lesbian candidates

Adams was one of other thing than 100 gay, lesbian and hermaphrodite candidates running for federal, state and local offices endorsed earlier this year by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C., group whose intent is to increase the reach the number of of openly gay elected officials.

Denis Dison, the organism’session spokesman, said 80 of the candidates won, including 33-year-old entrepreneur Jared Polis, of Boulder, Colo., who in November became the first openly gay man to gain over a seat in Congress as a nonincumbent candidate.