Democrats head to Chicago for the party’s national convention, which will feature Vice President Kamala Harris.
She is expected to become the first Black and South Asian woman to receive a major party nomination.
The convention will also feature many Black queer celebrities, from journalists to social media influencers.
Harris has a long history of support for the LGBTQ+ community, dating back to her days officiating some of the first same-sex marriages in the country in 2004 as San Francisco’s District Attorney.
Her commitment to the LGBTQ+ community was on full display during a Pride celebration at the vice president’s residence in Washington, D.C., this past June.
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She made “herstory” when, on July 26, 2024, she became the first sitting Vice President to be featured on an episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race All Stars 9. Her appearance on the cult classic drag reality competition show comes at a time when LGBTQ rights, and drag in particular, have been under attack in the United States by the political right.
Since her rise to the top of the Democratic ticket, Harris has energized the party’s base with her campaign slogan, “A New Way Forward,” which is amplified by Beyoncé’s powerful anthem, “Freedom,” as the campaign’s theme song.
With a sly nod to a global superstar, Harris signals that she remains an ally and staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, where Beyonce is an icon.
Ahead of the convention, support for Harris swelled as several identity groups hosted Zoom fundraising calls, including one sponsored by Black gay and queer men. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff treated Roughly three thousand participants to a surprise appearance.
With the convention kicking off this week, Black LGBTQ+ community members are using their platforms to speak out on some of the issues they hope the party will address. In one post, @KamoyJ asked to hear more about how the Harris administration will address the unique challenges faced by members of the Black LGBTQ+ community.
@DonChampionTV commented that he would like to hear more about protecting and enhancing equality. In his post, he highlighted how, in his view, the Supreme Court is extremely right-leaning. He hopes Harris will lay out a plan detailing how she will approach reforms on the high court.
While some commented about their policy wish list for the convention, @iAMshockley wrote in response that he wasn’t necessarily hopeful that the needs of the LGBTQ+ community would be addressed during the week of events. But he added it would be helpful if the party highlighted some of its openly LGBTQ+ members of color—especially Senator Laphonza Bulter of California.
The energy behind Harris and the Democratic ticket has been magnetic. For the first time in more than 40 years, the National LGBTQ+ Task Force Action Fund endorsed a presidential candidate.
The party has a strong track record of supporting and advancing rights through legislative efforts, public advocacy, and electoral representation. It will be up to the voters to decide if Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have what it takes to bring the community along for a seat at the table.
Hi
Welcome to the DNC convention here in Chicago. Democrats have controlled Chicago for the last 94 years.
When you look upon the 22,000 people in United Center, please put this number in comparison to the 33,399 people that were the victims of violent crime in Chicago in 2023.
If the Democrats have 617 speakers, that would equate to the number of people murdered in Chicago in 2023.
As a democrat, we pride ourselves on being fiscally responsible. Chicago is currently $40bln in debt, so only $43,000 per Chicagoan tax payer. Please help the DNC bring these types of numbers to your own communities.
Kangol2
Sounds like Hi got off the FoxNews/Breitbart train. Oh well, don’t play on the tracks!
Good points broached in the article above. Just keep in mind that DJT left the US in a state of utter freefall, economically, socially, politically, etc. when he finally left office in 2021. Every day was chaos was his unofficial motto, culminated in 800,000 dead Americans from Covid-19, a blown economy and an attempted, failed coup on January 6, 2021. Not a record to run on, but he’s shameless in doing so.
GayEGO
Make Marriage Equality the same in every state!
Hi
Those are facts. And statistics. Sorry they don’t match your agenda.
Also, more people died of Covid under Biden, then Trump. And that was with the vaccines already rolled out.
Over 1,000,000 people died of Covid under Biden’s watch. And you’re kidding yourself if you think the economy is better now, than during Trump’s presidency. It’s great you’re an echo chamber for the details. You may have forgot the Pandemic had an impact on Trump’s economy. But at least homes were affordable, and rent payments sustainable when Trump was president.
Let’s not forget Kamala Harris requesting bail for violent offenders during the Summer riots in 2020.
But yes, let’s stick to the topic. Chicago is great example of the failed Democratic policies.
Name one of Kampala’s policies, and how It will be funded. She has none. Let’s hear your facts.
Kangol2
800,000 people died in a year under DJT. The economy is far better now than it was under the 2020 freefall. But hey, you keep believing in that FoxNews/Breitbart bubble. It’s like the whole “Kamala Crash” nonsense–one bad day on Wall Street and DJT was proclaiming a crisis. Meanwhile the markets have been or are at or near record highs this year, under Biden. When the Fed starts lowering rates, which is possible now that inflation is abating, the result of supply chain backups and pent up demand (and inflation was GLOBAL, not localized to the US), housing will become more affordable. It will become even more affordable as supply increases as well. DJT’s disastrous tenure led to all of this. Four years of chaos then a failed coup. No thanks, not now or ever again!
Hi
Once again, more people died of Covid under Biden’s watch than Trump.
You’re delusional if you think the economy is better now than pre pandemic 2017-2019…
And inflation has been out of control since Biden has taken office. What prices are coming down exactly?
Also, Trump didn’t start or engage in any new wars during his presidency. Can’t say the same about Biden. The world is in chaos. And he’s got a lot of blood on his hands because of It.
abfab
Move along Hi. You’re so out of it.
Kangol2
Let’s try again. 800,000 people died from Covid in just one year under DJT. More people died over a three year span under Biden, in part because of the disastrous legacy of DJT’s mishandling of Covid-19.
The US economy is in far better shape than when DJT left office. The economy had lost 2.7 million jobs; the unemployment rate jumped nearly 2%; 3 million more Americans lacked health insurance; the trade deficit rose; the federal debt surged; the murder rate leapt over the prior 3 years; and so on.
Inflation is global and continues to fall in the US faster than in peer nations.
Lastly, Trump did engage in a number of wars during his presidency: Syria, Yemen, Niger, assassinating an Iranian general, Afghanistan, etc. He nearly started a war with North Korea twice and a supporter tried to stage a coup in Venezuela. Trump waged his harshest war on the American people, leading to the Covid-19 deaths and the January 6 failed coup. Those are the facts.
Woody
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will downward revise jobs for the April 2023-March 2024 period by up to 1 million. This means that all “beats” recorded in the past year will have been misses and the US job market is in far worse shape than the admin would admit.
Oopsie.
Woody
The New York Times reported Tuesday afternoon that the United States is reportedly preparing for possible nuclear confrontations with three of our most dangerous adversaries: Russia, China, and North Korea in the future.
Great! Thanks Joe and Kamala.
abfab
Sit down child.
Kangol2
The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised jobs down by 800,000; that means that under Biden-Harris the US still created 14 million jobs, still far more NET than the 9 million under DJT, and that includes all the jobs (21.9 million) lost under DJT’s disastrous tenure. It’s also a reminder to Jerome Powell’s Fed to cut interest rates, which will spur even more economic growth. But the GOP always blows up the economy, what’s new or news? Also, the US has been in a nuclear preparation mode nearly 80 years, including with Russia (then the Soviet Union), China (beginning when China got the nuclear bomb) and North Korea, which ramped up its nuclear bomb production while W Bush and DJT were president.
Woody
When millions of people go back to work after a once in a lifetime pandemic that is not “creating a job”. Nice try. I have told you this repeatedly, and yet, you still keep telling the same lie over and over.
I understand. Don’t let facts, reason and logic ever get in the way of your narrative.
abfab
Reason and logic. LOL
This from a logcabintroll
Kangol2
In addition to people “going back to work” the US has created millions of NEW jobs under Biden, millions more than under DJT. It’s painful to admit W00 but it’s the truth.
Or as Former prez Bill Clinton pointed out the other night, since 1989, under Democrats, the US has created a net of 50 million new jobs while under the GOP presidents, the US has created only 1 million new jobs. Philip Bump of the Washington Post rated this 100% true. GOP presidents preside over economic disasters, recessions, etc. again and again. Sorry, but them’s the facts.