I'll never forget my first campaign for Dane County Board of Supervisors. I remember because I had news articles about me mailed back to me with ‘dead fa***ot’ scrawled over my face. That wasn't my first run in with homophobia, nor would it be my last. I'm not the only Member who faced bigotry on their path to Washington. Before Eric made history as the first openly-LGBTQ representative from Illinois, he was pushed out of his first job as a weatherman in East Texas -- just for being gay. Management was clear: “We can’t have a gay meteorologist at channel 7, Eric.” We’ve made massive strides for LGBTQ rights since, but the fact is Donald Trump and his ally, Speaker Mike Johnson, are trying to reverse our progress by decades. Our trans friends are being scapegoated on a daily basis. And Johnson is even on record supporting the criminalization of sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ adults. He thinks the ‘homosexual agenda’ will destroy society and likened being gay to pedophilia and bestiality. I can’t think of a stronger rebuke of their hate than re-electing a strong Democrat like Eric Sorensen -- an openly gay meteorologist who has done nothing but care deeply for his IL-17 community. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Thank you, Mark Pocan |