There is one vote in particular that every LGBT person in this nation must make: You absolutely must vote for your Democratic congressional candidate. It is the most important vote you can ever make — one that will change our history. You have a chance to be a part of the most progress for our entire community.
Here’s why:
Remember that wedding-cake case when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the bakery and allowed them to discriminate against the gay couple on religious grounds? That ruling was based on the fact that religion, which the bakery based their case on, was a protected class. So are race, creed, national origin, age, sex and a few others. Note what is missing: the LGBT community. We are not equal with race, religion and the others. If we were everywhere in America, including places like Alabama, Florida, North and South Carolina — you know what I’m getting at — those red states could not discriminate against LGBT people in housing, employment and public accommodations.
Granted, homophobes and transphobes will cite other reasons, but we’ve stripped them of their most valuable tool: Ask any LGBT person in America who lives in a city, state or county that has an antidiscrimination-protection law.
We only get a Democratic Congress if you vote for the Democrat in your district who is running for Congress.
The Democratic leader of Congress promised last week that the Equality Act, which will grant us equal status, will be a top priority of a Democratic Congress. The Republicans have blocked you from protection and made you a second-class citizen at every attempt to pass it. We cannot trust Republicans; they have held us back every time.
Once passed in Congress, it would go to the Senate again. That will be hard, but it is very doable. Whoever controls Senate will do so by about two or three votes. If we start from a point of 48 votes, we are a few votes away. The timing could not be better since, in 2020, more Republicans will be defending their seats in the Senate, and some of those Republicans are in purple states.
This election, please take note of your local LGBT political organization and their local endorsements. No matter what, when you get in that voting booth, vote Democrat for Congress. Help our LGBT youth to have the weddings of their dreams with that wedding cake; help our seniors find a home to live in and help our teachers in private schools to keep their jobs.
It is that important.
Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. You can follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarkSegalPGN or Twitter at https://twitter.com/PhilaGayNews.