Washington Blade: Gay out the vote this November

By Earl Fowlkes, DNC LGBTQ Caucus Chair

With more LGBTQ Democrats than ever before running for office, a potential ‘rainbow wave’ this November could reshape the fight for equality.

But this wave won’t crest on its own. In order to take back Congress from the hands of anti-LGBTQ Republicans, it requires each and every one of us to register to vote and cast a ballot for Democrats this November.

For the last two decades, Democrats have led the fight for LGBTQ rights — spearheading the fight for marriage equality and fighting the outdated and discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. The Obama administration ensured that queer voices were heard by appointing more than 250 LGBTQ people to federal positions, banning discrimination against LGBTQ people by federal contractors, and ending the shameful “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. A Democratic Congress delivered protections against hate crimes by passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Act. And just this summer, the Democratic National Committee updated the language of its rules to be more inclusive of gender nonconforming Democrats.

There is good reason to be optimistic about the fight for full equality, but today our hard-earned progress faces a serious threat from President Trump and his anti-LGBTQ agenda.

(MORE)