The walls and desks inside 212 S. 12th St. bear signs reading “Stronger Together” and “LGBT for Hillary Clinton and Katie McGinty,” while a life-size cutout of the Democratic presidential nominee in front of a rainbow flag adorns a front window.
The former site of Café 12 is now headquarters for Liberty PA, an LGBT political-action committee that has kicked its get-out-the-vote efforts into high gear in the days leading up to the Nov. 8 election.
“We’re seeing a lot of enthusiasm,” Liberty PA executive director Trevor Powell said this week about local LGBT voters.
On weeknights, Liberty PA volunteers phone bank at the office, and on weekends go door to door to local homes, shops, bars and more to encourage voters to turn out at the polls. Volunteers do not need any experience, Powell noted. Scripts and phones are provided for phone banking, which starts around 5:30 p.m. during the week, and volunteers are given instructions on in-person canvassing.
The organization was founded in 2002 and rejuvenated in 2014 to support the successful election of Gov. Tom Wolf.
Now, Liberty PA is urging LGBTs and allies to back Clinton and McGinty, the latter of whom is looking to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey.
“Pat Toomey paints himself as a very moderate, fair-minded politician but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Powell said. “He rode into office on the Tea Party wave; he isn’t a friend to the LGBT community. Katie McGinty has been a strong ally for us and she will be in the Senate.”
McGinty will be one of several candidates shaking hands in the Gayborhood at a Nov. 4 candidate pub crawl organized by Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club and supported by Liberty PA.
Joining the crawl will be actor Debra Messing of “Will & Grace,” Gov. Ed Rendell and Liberty City’s slate of endorsed candidates. Singer Cyndi Lauper was originally scheduled but Liberty City announced Thursday that she is no longer available. The group will start at 9:30 p.m. at Knock and proceed to Tabu, UBar, Tavern on Camac, Woody’s and Boxers.
“It’s a good way to remind people to go out and vote,” said Anne Wakabayashi, Liberty City co-chair. “It’s also good for people to see elected officials and those who want to become elected officials and who are asking for our votes to do so in a way where they’re coming to where we’re at. That says a lot about where the LGBT community is in terms of getting attention from elected officials.”
Also this weekend, Equality Pennsylvania will host a Get out the Vote Party, 5-7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Tavern on Camac, 243 S. Camac St.
The group will be joined by special guest Trey Pearson, the openly gay lead singer of Christian-rock band Everyday Sunday.
Volunteers can also lend a hand at Equality PA’s phone bank this weekend. Callers will follow up with the thousands of people EQPA connected with during its door-to-door efforts in the last few months.
“This year we decided to do something different than we’ve ever done before, which is to really invest a lot of resources in talking directly to voters about LGBT equality, specifically leading with a message on nondiscrimination and to encourage people to vote for candidates who support LGBT equality,” said EQPA communications director Levana Layendecker.
For the past three months, between 35-40 EQPA representatives have canvassed each day, primarily in Southeastern Pennsylvania, with a goal of knocking on 100,000 doors.
“We’re almost at 90 percent of the goal, and we’ll hit it by Election Day,” Layendecker said.
She added that addressing LGBT-equality issues with voters, instead of focusing just on the candidates, has been an interesting approach in this election cycle.
“In a way, talking about the issues people care about is an antidote to the lack of enthusiasm people feel for some candidates and also for other people who are voting just based on the candidates,” Layendecker said. “They can all identify with these issues that they care about.”
“I think a lot of people are very tired of the election and the vitriol on both sides,” added Liberty PA’s Powell.
He noted, however, that in the waning days of the election, voters can’t get complacent.
“I think a lot of people have the feeling of, ‘Oh, [Donald] Trump can’t win.’ He won the Republican primary. There is a chance he could be our next president,” Powell said, noting the importance of diverse voters in this election. “The fact of the matter is that if LGBT people stay home, if the black community stays home, if the Hispanic community stays home, if women stay home, Trump will win. It’s those diverse communities that are integral to electing progressive candidates like Hillary Clinton and Katie McGinty.”
For more info or volunteering opportunities:
Liberty PA
www.facebook.com/LGBTLibertyPA
Phone banking
5:30-9 p.m. weeknights at 212 S. 12th St.
Weekend canvassing
leaving from 212 S. 12th St.
Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club
www.facebook.com/LibertyCityDems
Equality Pennsylvania
https://www.facebook.com/equalitypa
Phone banking at 1211 Chestnut St.,
Suite 605, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 5 and 6;
sign up at http://ow.ly/Iq8j305M9RT