LGBTQ+ leaders outlined a hopeful vision for a Kamala Harris presidency on Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.
The DNC kicked off Aug. 19 at United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., where Vice President Harris will accept the Democratic nomination for president on the convention’s final night Aug. 22. Harris made a surprise appearance on the convention stage to thank outgoing President Joe Biden for his “remarkable leadership.” Biden later closed Monday’s festivities with his speech, during which he passed the torch to Harris, promising her presidency would build on his legacy.
“Justice is achievable, and our best days are not behind us, they’re before us,” Biden said.
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, made his own surprise appearance earlier during the DNC’s LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., where several caucus and council meetings will be held throughout the week.
Walz, a former high school gay-straight alliance advisor in the late ‘90s, spoke on his and Harris’ commitment to protecting LGBTQ+ rights, saying they are “overwhelmingly supported by the American public.”
“These are ideas leaving our kids a decent society where everyone has a say [and] where we respect peoples’ rights,” Walz said. “The vice president and I talked about freedom to make your own healthcare decisions, freedom to love who you want to love and freedom to read the books you want to read.”
Throughout the day, LGBTQ+ leaders spoke on Harris and Walz’s commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and the power of queer voters in this election, while party leaders like Biden, Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outlined an optimistic vision for the country’s future.
The DNC also kicked off record-breaking LGBTQ+ participation in the convention, featuring more than 800 out LGBTQ+ delegates, including 12 from Illinois, Jason Rae, DNC secretary, said during the LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting. The caucus will meet for a second time Aug. 21.
‘We’ve got big things to do’
Much of the LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting’s speakers touched on Harris and Walz’s record on supporting LGBTQ+ rights and warned of the dangers of a second Donald Trump presidency.
Harris was celebrated by U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee for officiating the first same-sex marriage in California in 2013, working with Biden to reverse Trump’s trans military ban, supporting the president in signing an executive order to strengthen non-discrimination policies in the federal workplace and being part of the first presidential administration to formally honor Transgender Day of Visibility.
Maura Healey, the first out elected governor of Massachusetts, praised Walz for his longtime support of LGBTQ+ people, including when he sponsored a high school gay-straight alliance after one of his students approached him with the idea.
“Isn’t it great to have a Democratic administration and a Democratic ticket that is so supportive of equality and rights for everyone?” said Mark Pocan, a U.S. representative from Wisconsin, who chairs the Equality Caucus in Congress. “We need to build on the four years we’ve had with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris with another ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
But there’s more work to be done, Pocan said. The Equality Act still needs to be passed and party leaders need to fend off Republican attacks on LGBTQ+ people like the stigmatization of trans youth, efforts to roll back trans healthcare and bans on Pride flags outside federal facilities, Pocan said.
“We’ve got big things to do,” Pocan said.
The power of LGBTQ+ voters
Community leaders and politicians also spoke on the power that LGBTQ+ voters hold in this election cycle, which was the topic of a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) rally held at McCormick Place.
Political strategist Guy Cecil said LGBTQ+ people and other voters who support them can make or break this election for Harris, referring to the estimated 75 million voters who support LGBTQ+ rights as “Equality Voters.”
“Remember, we barely lost in 2016 and we barely won in 2020,” Cecil said. “Equality voters were the difference in every single battleground state that Hillary lost and Joe Biden won, and they will be the difference in determining whether or not Donald Trump wins or Kamala Harris wins.”
Trans voters in particular could be a key demographic in determining election results in some battleground states, said Josie Caballero, director of elections and voting at Advocates for Trans Equality.
Caballero presented results from the 2022 U.S. Transgender Survey, which is the most comprehensive and widest-reach survey of transgender people ever conducted. It collected data on trans people and their voting habits, finding that voter registration among trans people comes out to 75%.
“We are not only a power block, but we are one of the strongest voter blocks in the United States,” Caballero said.
Cook County Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis, who is the first out trans person appointed to public office in Cook County, spoke during HRC’s rally on the issues transgender people face in the U.S.
“Fighting forces may say this is about pronouns, bathrooms and sports, but what this is really about is the safety and sanctity of our lives,” Brady-Davis said. “To put it plainly, trans rights are human rights [and] we deserve gender-affirming care, affordable housing and economic security […] and I know Vice President Kamala Harris agrees, too.”
Zahara Bassett, CEO of Life is Work, said transgender people have been instrumental in rallying support for Harris since she became the presumptive nominee when Biden dropped out of the race in July.
Bassett led efforts to create a Trans Folks for Kamala Harris zoom call, in which dozens of transgender leaders from across the country met to discuss their support for the presidential candidate and strategize how they could ensure Harris’ victory.
Having transgender representation behind Harris’ campaign and at the DNC is crucial, Bassett said.
“You don’t see a lot of Black and Brown trans people walking through these convention halls, right? And that’s the issue there,” Bassett said.
Life is Work is a Black-, Brown- and transgender-led social services agency on the West Side of Chicago. The organization had a table at HRCs rally along with Brave Space Alliance, a Black- and trans-led organization on Chicago’s South Side.
“There are so many folks out here who will make us believe our voices don’t matter or hold power, but we know this is not true, because why else are they actively trying to silence us?” said Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance. “It’s important we’re in the room right now, because it’s how we serve as possibility models. There are going to be so many other Black, trans and nonbinary leaders that come up in the ranks and find their place in politics now.”
Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th Ward), the first openly Black and gay man on Chicago’s City Council and one of Illinois’ 12 openly LGBTQ+ delegates, spoke on the importance of this representation during a reception he held for Black queer leaders at William’s Inn, a Black- and queer-owned business at 2210 S. Michigan Ave. The party was attended by Parker and leaders from the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus and Chicago House.
“Our representation matters, and there are a lot of issues our communities are still suffering from,” Robinson said. “My hope is that Kamala Harris, who is a supporter of our community, will bring in a lot of traction for the Black queer community. We’ve made a lot of great inroads in Chicago and at the state level, but there’s still a lot of work to do at the federal level.”
Photos by Lisa Howe-Ebright
Photo gallery below by Lisa Howe-Ebright
The post LGBTQ+ leaders, politicians rally behind Kamala Harris on first day of DNC appeared first on Windy City Times.