We know the Democrats, with control of the House, Senate, and Presidency, have been disappointing over the last two years on major issues of importance to the LGBT community. But we also know that the vast majority of our community’s staunch supporters are Democrats, not Republicans. And we know that if the GOP is elected there will be specific, negative effects to our community as a direct result. To note just a few cases:
California: In our home state, California, if Democrats Jerry Brown (Governor) and Kamala Harris (Attorney General) are elected, the state will stay out of the Proposition 8 Case. But both their GOP counterparts Meg Whitman and Steve Cooley have promised to throw the state’s support behind Proposition 8, helping to keep the ban on gay marriage in the Golden State.
Washington DC: In the House, chairmanship of the committee that handles issues for Washington DC will, if the GOP takes the house, shift to Jason Chaffetz from Utah, one of the most rabidly anti-gay representatives in the House. Congress has jurisdiction over DC, and Congressman Chaffetz plans to push for congressional repeal of Washington DC’s new gay marriage law.
Iowa: In Iowa, not only are three of the justices who stood up for marriage equality last year in danger of losing their seats for it tomorrow, the GOP is also pushing for a Yes vote on a constitutional convention that would allow them to insert a ban on gay marriage directly into the constitution.
These are just a few examples of the lasting damage that could be done to our community tomorrow if we don’t stand up and vote.
Sure, withhold your money from the Democratic Party as a whole.
Sure, don’t vote for anti-gay democratic candidates (yes, Ruben Diaz, we mean you!).
But do go out and support the Democrats tomorrow in general, and the many friends of our community in the Democratic Party in particular.
We have the numbers to make a real difference and put a dent in the “Tea Party Revolution”. And if you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain when bad things happen to our community as a result.
So please, if you are a United States citizen, get out there and vote tomorrow, and forward this column to anyone else you know in our community who may be thinking about staying at home!
