Organizations Encourage Texans to ‘Queer the Vote’ on March 1

Last year, a record number of LGBTQ candidates—at least 410—ran for public office nationwide, an increase of 7 percent over 2019. And the rainbow wave continues this year, with more LGBTQ candidates than ever. 

Former Houston mayor Annise Parker, now president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about their current candidate endorsements: 

“The 2022 election cycle presents enormous opportunities for our community, including the potential to dramatically increase the number of LGBTQ state legislators and electing LGBTQ leaders in states where there are few. These LGBTQ candidates are essential to defeating the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation we see across the country, and to pushing forward policies that are inclusive of our community. We are investing early in these races because that is when we can make the greatest difference—and winning in 2022 is more important than ever.”

“We have over 700 LGBTQ+ candidates running nationwide this year,” Parker tells OutSmart. “It’s a combination of things—people are saying ‘enough is enough’ about the Trump years, and success breeds success. We’re finding that being LGBTQ is not a positive, but it’s not a negative. There’s what I call the Pete Buttigieg effect. By running for president, he increased awareness. As we get more high-profile LGBTQ candidates, whether they are successful at the ballot box or not, they raise awareness.”

Here in Houston, there are several LGBTQ candidates on the March 1 ballot, including three LGBTQ women of color—Jolanda Jones, Aurelia Wagner, and Namrata “Nam” Subramanian—running for the State Rep. District 147 seat alone. Porscha Brown is running for Harris County Criminal Court No. 3; Steve Duble is running for Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 2; and Ben Chou is running for County Commissioners Court in Precinct 4. Also, the so-called “Fab Five” LGBTQ judges (Beau Miller, Jason Cox, Jim Kovach, Shannon Baldwin, and Jerry Simoneaux, who all won election in 2018) are up for re-election. 

“Locally, we have our work cut out for us this year,” says Jovon Alfon B. Tyler, president of the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus. The Caucus is the oldest LGBTQ civil-rights organization in the South, founded in Houston in 1975 to endorse local LGBTQ-affirming candidates and encourage education and activism through political advocacy. 

“Due to the voter suppression bill passed during the special session, we are fighting an uphill battle to get out the vote,” Tyler emphasizes. “Vote-by-mail has become more difficult, we have bans on 24-hour voting and drive-thru voting, and there are now partisan poll watchers at the voting booth. Governor Abbott and Republican state legislators wish to disenfranchise Texans, and particularly Texans of color, from their constitutionally protected right to vote, but we will do what we can to combat this by clearly communicating SB 1 changes, helping to register people to vote and, as always, pushing our pro-equality slate of candidates. We desperately need a change in leadership for the betterment of the state, and we welcome any and all help from community members to make that a reality.”

And how can voters find out exactly who’s who in the Texas races? 

“Equality Texas is launching a brand-new directory for any candidate running in the 2022 election,” says Equality Texas CEO Ricardo Martinez. That nonprofit battles discrimination targeting the LGTBQ community, primarily during odd-numbered years when the Texas Legislature is in session. They work with pro-equality legislators to protect LGBTQ Texans from legislative attacks. 

“Our goal is to give voters as much information as possible before they turn out for the polls, including highlighting those candidates who are pro-equality and who themselves identify as LGBTQ+,” Martinez says. “Our directory should not be seen as an endorsement; we simply want to centralize information so that our community has a place to turn to before conducting their own in-depth research on candidate platforms. We will not endorse any candidates in the primary election, but we will use the directory to invite candidates to participate in our general-election endorsement process.”

“We’re playing the long game,” Parker says. Things are changing as voters get younger and the fallout from the Trump years motivates both candidates and voters. “The toxicity inspires people to run. These issues are ridiculous. Should trans students be allowed in sports? Of course! And more and more people are seeing that.” 

For the Victory Fund candidate endorsement list, visit victoryfund.org. For the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus endorsements, visit thecaucus.org. Candidates wanting to be listed in the Equality Texas directory can
visit secure.everyaction.com/NXTf1keJikSI1ZD4sAjxmw2.

This article appears in the February 2022 edition of OutSmart magazine.