PHILADELPHIA- On the eve of National Coming Out Day, Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz highlighted the impact LGBTQ+-motivated voters could have on the upcoming presidential election.
“Kamala and Tim are the underdogs in this race. How is that possible?” – Walz said to the room of fans at the Independence Visitor Center in the Old Town. “But you know what? Equality voters can help make change.”
Walz’s appearance in Philadelphia was her first solo campaign visit to Pennsylvania since her husband, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, joined Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee.
Thursday night’s event was the kickoff to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Out For Harris-Walz Coalition’s “10 Days of Action,” which aims to mobilize voters in battleground states who care about LGBTQ+ rights priority.
HRC Chairman Kelley Robinson said Pennsylvania will “save our nation and our democracy.”
HRC describes equity voters as “a subset of voters – LGBTQ+ voters and allies – who prioritize LGBTQ+ inclusive policies when making decisions at the ballot box.”
Quoting HRC surveyRobinson said there are 75 million such voters nationwide, 1 million of them in Pennsylvania alone.
On Thursday night, speakers praised Harris and Walz as having decades of history defending the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Robinson addressed Harris’ first campaign run by the “mastermind” behind political operation Harvey Milk and her prosecution of hate crimes: officiating the first same-sex weddings in Californiasupporting the Equality Act and helping to pass the Respect for Marriage Act.
“That’s who she is,” Robinson said.
Gwen Walz recalled her husband’s long history on LGBTQ+ issues, dating back to when he was a high school teacher in the 1990s. sponsored the school’s first gay alliance. As a member of Congress, Walz fought to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and worked to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. As governor, Walz signed the bill into law ban on conversion therapy AND providing transitional care.
Walz praised Harris on Thursday for being the “most pro-LGBTQ+ vice president in history” and assured that if Harris-Walz wins the White House, he will sign the deal Equality Actwhich aims to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Speakers at the event said the Republican Party, led by former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (D-Ohio), would not have their best interests in mind.
“You know, there are so many people running for office right now, and their whole strategy, their whole strategy is to convince you that you have to hate somebody,” said state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (Philadelphia), state representative the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly and candidate for auditor general.
“They say that if it weren’t for people in a certain region of the country who had less, you would have everything you need. You’ve heard this lie before,” he added. “You’ve heard the lie that if we just hate trans people, we just hate brown people, we just hate people who grew up in certain communities, if we just hated them enough, then your neighborhood would be safer. your neighborhood will be better. We’ve all heard this lie.”
At one point, Walz put on teacher glasses and sent a message to the Republican Party’s presidential candidacy in her “teacher voice.”
“I’m not sure they’ll listen, but we’re saying it anyway,” Walz said. “Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance, please mind your own business,” which drew applause from the room.
Reports over the summer showed that, at Trump’s urging, the Republican National Committee had updated its agenda and no longer defined marriage as a union between “one man and one woman.” CNN.
During Wednesday’s rally in PennsylvaniaTrump showed the audience in Reading a campaign video that included a clip of Pennsylvania’s former health secretary, Admiral Rachel Levinewho currently serves as Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Levine is transgender. The video with her participation caused screams from the audience.
“I think the saddest thing I see happening right now, especially among Republicans, is that they are so desperate that they are spending the last days of this campaign spreading fear, hatred and transphobia in our communities,” Robinson said.
Robinson, however, expressed optimism, saying this “strategy of sowing transphobia” has been tried over the past few cycles but failed during Andy Beshear’s successful campaigns for governor of Kentucky and other races in Virginia.
While Gwen Walz was organizing the event in Philadelphia, Tim Walz was participating in the nationwide organizing call, “Out for Harris-Walz.”
HRC survey showed Harris leading Trump by 67% among LGBTQ voters.
Once again drawing on her teaching background, Walz said the HRC poll found that 73% of LGBTQ+ adults were very motivated to vote.
“You know what 73 sounds like to a teacher like me,” Walz asked the room. “These are C people.”
“Philly, I want us to work for the next ten days of action because I think we can get an A,” she added.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
