The Democrats & the LGBT vote

Yesterday (well…. late last night/very early this morning, lol) I wrote a post over at BlueNC.com about being invited to attend the NC State Democratic Party Convention. In the post I asked why I should even go, considering the fact that from where I stand as a gay North Carolinian, the State Party doesn’t seem to be doing very much for me at all.

The overwhelming response was, “Go!”

One commenter, “The Southern Dem”, said:

You never accomplish anything if you don’t show up. You need to be in their faces. You need to show the power of your constituency. Hiding behind a computer screen is fun, it allows you to express yourself but they don’t have to look at it. Stand in front of them and remind them you are there. Your vote counts. Get in their faces!

And, of course, he is right. Without showing up and actually letting the State Democrats see openly LGBT people they will continue to not have to face any of the issues.

Anglico had this to add:

And put the @$$holes on notice. Tell them that they are at risk of losing progressive votes on all fronts, not just with regard to LGBT issues.

And Lance, after long, late night rant on good and bad political leadership, said this:

But I think I do have an answer to your question after all: go. Not only is it possible that (I think likely) the Democratic establishment is more progressive than it looks (at least on some issues), but there’s a health progressive movement pushing from within and without the party.

And take a laptop and live blog, if you don’t mind.

Yes… Lance… I’ll try to take my laptop (I’ll have to find out if there will be some of that awfully wonderful, free wireless internet, lol.

So… I think I will go. Being there and being open and letting the members of the Party see that is what is going to change things. That is one of the reasons why I’ll be attending EqualityNC’s Lobby Day, too. Legislators and politicians need to see our faces. They need to understand that we are here and we aren’t going anywhere and we want our issues heard, not ignored.

But I still have to admit that I have some doubts about how far the State Party is willing to go in order to stand up for equality and truth. Those doubts only double, maybe triple… heck they get 100 times worse when I think about the National Party.

The Democratic National Committee, under the leadership of Dean anyways (Remember the 700 Club mis-hap, anyone?), has done nothing but distance itself from its LGBT voters, all while silently taking their cash.

I got this little write up off the email list I’m on for Matthew Tsien, a conservate, openly gay, Republican (we’ll save that debate for another day, lol). A lot of what is said in this letter kind of wraps up some of what I’m feeling, mainly ignored, taken for granted and, in some cases, pushed back into the closet. Take a look:

Democrats take the Gay-Lesbian Vote for Granted

After making the overworked Donald Hitchcock a sacrificial lamb, now the DNC is attempting to silence the party’s gay activists. Choosing to let Donald go was a mistake. Now we have a new director, Brian Bond, without a strategic plan and without the funding, institutional support or time to handle both fundraising and outreach to the LGBT community. And if that weren’t enough, the DNC’s LGBT and field staff have to divide their time between handling an immense task and calming the critics of the program.

Taking the LGBT vote for granted is a luxury the DNC cannot afford with crucial 2006 midterm elections approaching. It is likely that the LGBT vote will play a very important role in deciding who is elected and who falls just short this season. When marriage equality is once again hitting the radio and TV airwaves in a craven attempt to turn out the votes of the narrow-minded, the Democratic Party will need to rely on the organization of LGBT Democrats to counterbalance the issue. Without a strong and active LGBT field program from 2006 to 2008, the Democratic Party risks losing the substantial gains it made in organizing the LGBT community during the 2004 campaign. The hard work of LGBT field staff during the 2004 election cycle is now deteriorating and dissent is growing.

The LGBT community is one of the most engaged demographics. It is looking for a party that will fight for its issues. But under the leadership of Howard Dean, the Democratic Party continues to signal to LGBT votes that they will take our money but do not take up our issues for fear of appearing too liberal.

Stripping the field program and replacing it with a plan focused entirely on fundraising is not only disheartening but is destroying the credibly of the DNC, Howard Dean and other high ranking LGBT officers, such as Andy Tobias. As the highest-ranking officer at the DNC Tobias should be the most vocal critic of the DNC’s dismantling of the LGBT outreach program—not it’s most silent.

There must be a point at which LGBT voters say we cannot support the Democratic Party until it makes a more dedicated commitment to our community. I strongly urge you to take consider what the DNC is doing before writing a fundraising check. Help push the DNC in the right direction and ask Dean to take responsibility for destroying the highly successful Pride at the Polls program.

It is time t o accept that the LGBT community must be more than the silent piggy-bank of the Democratic Party and from this day forward commit to realizing a formal place in party organizing and outreach before it is too late.

Andy Szekeres
former “Out for Dean” chapter leader
Chicago, Illinois

So… I will be going to the Convention in late June. I’ll be there. I’ll be open and I’ll be proud. Hell if I get pushed back into the closet and hell if I get ignored. I’m a person… An American and a North Carolinian. I pay taxes and I follow the laws. I’ll be damned if my equality, liberty and justice get sacrificed for political gain (or lack thereof).

Posted in Civil Rights, Democratic Party, LGBT, North Carolina, Politics |