Leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations will host a nationwide Out for Harris LGBTQ+ Unity call on Thursday.
The virtual rally, co-hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, the National LGBTQ Task Force, LGBTQ Victory Fund, LPAC, Transgender Equality Advocates and the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, is intended to rally support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and highlight the importance of the November election, the groups said.
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The call comes following a powerful letter of support released by HRC on Wednesday and signed by more than 1,100 LGBTQ+ leaders, celebrities and influencers.
The list of signatories includes some of the biggest names in LGBTQ+ advocacy and entertainment, including George Takei, Sophia Bush, Ashlyn Harris, Wilson Cruz, Brian Michael Smith, Colman Domingo, and Frankie Grande, as well as political heavyweights like Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Representative Ritchie Torres of New York, Representative Mark Takano of California, Representative Becca Balint of Vermont, Senator Sarah McBride of Delaware, and pioneering activists Jim Obergefell and Judy Shepherd.
The letter is a clarion call to action. It highlights Harris’ storied history as a pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights, from taking a firm stance against hate crimes as San Francisco’s District Attorney to officiating some of the nation’s first same-sex marriages. Her refusal to defend Proposition 8 as California’s Attorney General, her co-sponsoring of the Equality Act in the U.S. Senate, and her advocacy for anti-discrimination as Vice President paint a picture of her as a passionate advocate for equality.
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The letter also praises the Biden-Harris Administration for its historic progress, cementing its position as the most pro-LGBTQ+ administration in history. The letter highlights the passage of the Respect Marriage Act, protections for LGBTQ+ youth, and the record number of LGBTQ+ appointments to senior government positions. It notes that this progress instills pride and hope for the future among LGBTQ+ people and their allies.
According to advocates of the letter, the stakes of the 2024 elections are high: “Our fundamental freedoms are under attack, and we must stop Donald Trump and his MAGA minions from using their power to further erode and roll back all that has been achieved for equality,” the letter states.
The LGBTQ+ community is growing as a political force, now reaching approximately 20 million eligible voters, and their collective power could be a deciding factor in the next election.
“The community is sending a loud and clear message: We are united in supporting the experienced, tough and pro-equality Vice President Kamala Harris, and we will do everything in our power to defeat Donald Trump and J.D. Vance,” HRC President Kelly Robinson said in a statement alongside the letter. “The hope and energy we feel right now is real. We have the opportunity to vote for the future we want — a future of equality and freedom for all. For decades, Vice President Kamala Harris has dedicated her life to this future for America.”
