We are in the midst of a highly charged political time, with so many rights of LGBTQ people being attacked by lawmakers and politicians. This political climate is is heavily impacted by us — YOU! We have the power and ability to drastically change our laws, legislation, politics and country if we get involved.
HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that works to promote participation in democracy. We partnered with HeadCount at RuPaul’s DragCon LA 2019 for a panel to dive into the importance of participating in politics as members of the LGBTQ community. The panel was moderated by Ivy Bryan, HeadCount Artist Liasion and featured Hoodprofet, a poet, writer and light worker, and Kelz, an actor and comedian.
During the panel Kelz, Hoodprofet and Ivy discussed the importance of being politically involved and activated as LGBTQ person. Being LGBTQ we are marginalized, meaning we do not have equal rights to our straight/heterosexual counterparts and so everything we do is political and we NEED it to be political. We need it to show how we are not equal in rights or treatment.
However I walk out of the door is a political statement; my existence is a political statement.
Hoodprofet
It is important as a community that we understand that we have rights that are at stake for us. For years LGBTQ people have been fighting for their rights and the fight isn’t over. It is important for us to be involved.
Being an active political participant means being an informed voter rather than a party voter. There are so many different ways to become an active member of democracy:
- Participate in local elections
- Do your research on candidates and their platforms
- Find out who is on the ballot
- Spread the word about elections and candidates and voting to your friends and family so they get involved as well
- Volunteer to help people to vote
- Get involved with your party or non-partisan organizations
With the changes in the population millennials and younger generations outnumber older generations, so if every person under the age of 36 registered and went out to vote, we could drastically change the political landscape of our country. Do your part: register to vote, vote in local and primary elections, be knowledgeable and informed when you vote and encourage everyone in your life to vote too!
To register to vote be sure to check out HeadCount!
