Gwen Walz, wife of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, joined Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, to launch a 10-day tour and action plan in Pennsylvania — launching in Philadelphia with an event aimed at mobilizing LGBTQ+ and allied voters.
Walz and Robinson were joined by various well-loved local LGBTQ+ leaders, including Councilmember Rue Landau, State Rep. Andre D. Carroll, and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, at the Independence Visitor Center on Oct. 10. They also delivered speeches during PGN’s event celebrating the publication’s 48 Most Influential LGBTQ+ Leaders at the historic Arch Street Meeting House that same evening.
The event was held on the eve of National Coming Out Day and just a week before HBCU Out Loud Day — two holidays that celebrate LGBTQ+ resilience with visibility.
“We have to put people in office who care about us, who have similar experiences, who can do the work,” said Dena Stanley, executive director of Trans YOUniting and co-founder of Pittsburgh Pride Group, who spoke off-script to share words she said were on her heart.
“Are you tired of going to funerals? Are you tired of them banning books, taking away our health care because they want to use us as their political pawns? I am and I hope you are,” she continued, underlining that despite having more visibility today — LGBTQ+ people are still at risk because leaders aren’t doing what it takes to protect and defend them.
“I know that there are 75 million equality voters around this country — a million of them in Pennsylvania alone,” Robinson said, referring to voters who prioritize LGBTQ+ issues when deciding who to support. “I know we have the power to win.”
“The question is — what are we willing to do to win?” she continued. “Is anybody willing to fight these next 25 days?”
She and other speakers urged those passionate about the potential outcome of the election to take action over the next month. This, they noted, might look like helping others register to vote, knock on doors and canvas or phone bank with the campaign, apply for mail-in ballots, chat with family and friends about voting, and make plans to get to polling stations.
Robinson noted that Republicans are so desperate for power that they’re spending the last days of their campaigns attempting to sow fear, hate and transphobia. She noted that this strategy doesn’t actually work long term — a reality that’s visible when people look at local and state elections which she noted have favored LGBTQ+ affirming candidates in the face of MAGA extremism. She underlined that Harris and Walz have continually done the opposite when extremists have pressured them to respond with hate by restricting people’s freedoms.
“It feels like we have a chance to turn the page [on] all the division, the divisiveness and all the chaos,” she said. “For the first time in a long time, I know that you’re feeling like I do — a sense of hope, a sense of joy. For the first time in a long time, we are feeling proud and we are feeling patriotic.”
“This election that we’re looking at is not just about sets of candidates. It’s about two fundamentally different visions for our country — about two different visions for what could be possible for generations to come,” she said before specifically noting what that might look like in practical terms. “Look — we can have state houses that demonize trans kids, or we can have schools that welcome and support those kids. We just have to show up. We can have a Congress that continues to attack pregnant people, or a Congress that codifies Roe v Wade into law.”
Love was at the center of a speech delivered by Malcolm Kennyatta, who is currently running to become Pennsylvania’s General Auditor — as he urged people to consider who they’re showing up for over these next few weeks in an effort to elect Harris and Walz.
“I didn’t get involved in politics because I hated anybody. I got involved in public life because there was somebody I loved — because they deserve to get a fairer deal and a fairer shot that every single one of us deserves,” he said. “And so my only question for you tonight is, is there somebody that you love that you are willing to fight for for the next 25 days?”
“At the end of the day, this election is not about the names on those ballots,” he emphasized. “It’s about the folks that you care about most in the world, the people that you love, and what you are willing to do to make sure they get to live in a community where they are respected and protected.”
Despite living in the seemingly progressive pocket of Philadelphia, many attendees who spoke with PGN noted that they have Trump supporters in their neighborhoods across the city and even fear showing outward support for the Harris/Walz campaign due to potential blowback. They characterized Trump supporters as dangerous people who might not be willing to “agree to disagree” — which makes them fear violence.
“Kamala and Tim have a vision for our country, and that vision includes everyone,” Walz said in her speech. “Now, I’m an English teacher, and we know that words matter — so when we say everyone, we don’t mean some of us. We don’t mean even only those who vote for us. We mean all of us. We mean everyone.”
Walz underlined examples of the candidates’ long histories of showing up in tangible ways for LGBTQ+ people — from banning panic defenses in their respective states and supporting legislative efforts that protect the queer community.
“I saw a new poll from HRC, and it said that 73% of LGBTQ+ adults were very motivated to vote,” she noted. “You know what 73 sounds like to a teacher like me? It’s a C minus, people! Philly, over the next 10 days of action, I want us to work because I think we can get to an A.”
One supporter, a gay man, told PGN he was making plans to drive his elderly mother to the booth — where she’ll likely cast her last vote for the Harris/Walz ticket. Another voter, who is a trans woman, spoke about bringing her young children to the polls to teach them about the importance of respecting and protecting this right — a right that she underlined women, Black people, and other marginalized groups didn’t always have or were too intimidated to exercise in the past.
“It’s about our kids. It’s for the next generation,” said another woman who is volunteering with the campaign about why she’s taking action.
“A new way forward is within our reach,” Walz said. “But again, we are going to have to fight for it. We are going to have to fight maybe like we’ve not fought before.”
Just down the road at the Arch Street Meeting House, Walz and Robinson continued the Pennsylvania tour at PGN’s event.
“Since the Stonewall riots, there have only been two generations of out LGBT individuals,” said PGN publisher Mark Segal. “Before 1969, over 90% of our community was in the closet.”
Segal said those being honored at the event have taken the queer community from a place of “no influence to a place of great influence,” but this, Robinson and Walz emphasized, is not something to take for granted.
“The stakes have never been higher and right now,” Robinson said to the crowd — which included more than 100 community members and allies. “Extremists are trying to silence our voices, to erase our stories, to roll back our hard won rights. But there is something more powerful, especially in this room — the truth.”
“Because let me be clear, the truth still matters. It matters more than ever in a world where lies spread faster than fast, where conspiracy theories masquerade as news, and where a former president can berate and undermine the press without consequence,” she continued, emphasizing the importance of a robust, free press.
Robinson highlighted that Harris understands and appreciates the role of diverse voices in democracy — noting that when any community is silenced, the entire nation is weakened.
“At the Human Rights Campaign, we recognize this power,” she continued. “We’re not just resisting, y’all. We’re reimagining what true equality looks like — and let me tell you, we are just getting started.”
Walz noted advice she received from her mother about making an impact on communities.
“My mom always said, ‘Gwen, do the work that’s in front of you.’ And growing up, I thought that meant the dishes. And it probably did — but she also meant something broader. She meant that I should be empowered to see with my own two eyes what the work was… to think through how I would bring my own talents and time and experiences to make a difference,” added Walz. “It’s advice that’s both thoughtful and actionable — because we all have the power to make a difference.”
