Remember to Hope. Decide to Act.

by Joel McDonald, Chairperson

Hello. I’m Joel McDonald, chairperson of LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia, the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

This weekend, Democrats from around the Commonwealth met in Richmond for the State Steering and Central Committee meetings, which happen quarterly, and where I have the privilege of representing the LGBT Caucus.

Yesterday, we elected Senator Lamont Bagby as the new Chairperson for the Democratic Party of Virginia. I want to thank all the candidates who ran for this position and congratulate Senator Bagby on his election. Our caucus looks forward to working with you. I also want to thank Susan Swecker for her outstanding leadership in building up the DPVA for the last decade as chairperson and for always standing with us and our community.

The caucus also held a successful Meet & Greet and General Membership Meeting yesterday, where we heard from State Delegate Joshua Cole, one of nine openly LGBTQ+ legislators in the Virginia General Assembly. He reminded us that we each have the power to make a difference and that hope is not silent. We are grateful that he was able to join and speak to us. Thank you to all who came out. We look forward to more opportunities to meet together like this in the future.

We’re living in challenging times with few historical parallels. Our national beliefs, morals, position in the world, ideals, and identity are all being tossed aside or otherwise altered. We are on a path to becoming a nation that is unrecognizable, uncomfortable, and unsustainable for us as people who care about people.

Corporate interests and billionaires have seemingly fulfilled the promise of Citizens United and have co-opted our government, which is intended to be for, by, and of the people, transforming it instead into an instrument of quick private profit rather than lasting public good.

They have done so by stoking fear and division among our friends, family members, and neighbors. Taking a page out of an old playbook, they have made scapegoats of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. They said the immigrants are to blame. They say that we should fear people who are transgender. They say that we shouldn’t learn or talk about what it means to be a minority in this country and that Black history, women’s history, and LGBTQ history need to be erased.

They’ve mandated the recognition of gender as only being based on one’s genitalia seen at birth, tossing aside the science that begs us to understand the complex reality of gender and gender identity. They’re seeking to overturn Obergefell to again make marriage unequal throughout the county. They’re attempting to, once again, remove transgender service members from active duty, ignoring their bravery and sacrifice on behalf of our nation, for which they should be thanked and not targeted. They’re trying to overrule healthcare professionals to withhold lifesaving, gender-affirming care from youth and limit access to this care for adults. They’re looking to end federal support for healthcare programs that provide education, prevention, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, programs that we know save lives and money.

As a caucus, we are, of course, laser-focused on issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community. The reality is that every issue impacts our community. When federal workers are illegally fired, it impacts our community. When farms lose access to government subsidies, it impacts our community. When access to healthcare is limited, it impacts our community. When worker’s rights are trampled on, it impacts our community. When homes are too expensive, interest rates too high, and the grocery bill is exorbitant, it impacts our community.

So, how do we fight back? This question has probably weighed heavily you. It’s likely you’ve gone through some expression of mourning following November’s election. I mean, we delivered in Virginia! How could we be where we are today? What more can we do?

There have been a lot of talking heads giving their assessments about what happened and what needs to happen. I’m not going to try to give some definitive analysis or plan, but I think anything starts with remembering that hope is more than a political catchphrase. We have to identify what our hopes are and then decide to act in ways to turn our hopes into reality.

Our actions can take many forms. Showing up to meetings like what held yesterday is an action. Making a donation or volunteering with a campaign is an action. Protesting outside your representative’s office is an action. Speaking to your neighbors or sending postcards letting them know what is happening and inviting them to resist is an action. Whether your actions are within the Democratic Party, grassroots groups, or even individually, each action creates awareness and pressure for change.

They’d like us to give up. We can’t.

Admittedly, it’s hard to be a Democrat right now. We’re not always going to agree on the path forward out of these challenging times, but I think we can agree that our hopes are mostly aligned. Years ago, I spoke at a Central Committee meeting of the Democratic Party of Virginia and said I’m a Democrat because Democrats care about people. Last year, I spoke at a Pride event hosted by the Historic Triangle Democrats and said that the Democratic Party is the Party fighting for personal freedom. I still believe these things and believe that the best way to have a government that serves the people and protects personal freedom is to elect Democrats to office at all levels. And LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia stands ready to help make that happen.

I would like to share a few of my goals as chairperson of the caucus.

1. More events like what we held yesterday and around the Commonwealth. Opportunities to meet with and engage with one another more-or-less informally. There is a social aspect to party organizing that we can’t forget.
2. More outreach and engagement with caucus membership around Virginia, both in-person and virtually. We need to organize locally and support the work of folks within their cities, counties, and districts.
3. More dollars raised for our endorsed pro-equality Democrats. When you give to the caucus, you combine your voice with hundreds, potentially thousands, of others underscoring the importance of being a pro-Equality Democratic candidate and helping get them elected.
   I hope you’ll join with us in these efforts. Become a member. Donate. Look for opportunities to volunteer.

Remember to hope. Decide to act.

Thank You.