It’s a new year and I for one am tired of all those doom sayers out there. If you continue spiraling down with your negative views, you’re just giving in. What you need to do is fight back. This includes every front, from elections to legislation. Instead of groaning, start organizing, take a look at our history, and recognize our greatest strengths. It’s time to unite as a community and for Democrats — which makes up an overwhelming percentage of the LGBTQ+ community — to start voicing strong support for our candidates.
It might be surprising that 2024 could be a banner year for LGBTQ+ rights and Democrats’ victories. Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg recently wrote an op-ed for MSNBC titled “Biden’s 2024 chances are much stronger than people realize.” It’s a great read, and he has an incredible record of seeing where elections will go. He was one of the very few who made it clear that 2022 would be a great year for Democrats. For 2024, he is optimistic that Biden will win re-election.
He reasons that all the aspects of 2022 are still in play and most likely stronger. The conversation around abortion rights, of course, has increased and — thanks to Texas and other states — will become even stronger. Rosenberg recalls that it was Donald Trump who essentially ushered in the end to Roe vs. Wade, which started this injustice. The economy is a positive sign, with inflation, interest rates and unemployment down.
And then there are the questions that voters will ask themselves once they actually start paying attention to the election: Who do you want running Congress? Are you willing to put up with the childish antics of the current clowns? Who do you want to nominate the next Supreme Court Justice? And my favorite: Do you really want to vote for those who have created this current culture war, which includes book banning, erasing history and silencing an entire class of people? Those same leaders are also having open marriages and parties where they allow high schoolers to drink alcohol and chug it down with them. Ah, the moral majority.
Regarding our trans and drag communities and the hundreds of negative legislation that was introduced around the country in 2023, please note how many courts have struck them down and that many Republican governors have vetoed them. As with the gay and lesbian community in the past, there comes a time when you can no longer use us to frighten society. Look to 2024 to be the beginning of the end of this current backlash.
That is my prediction. Let’s see how well I’ve done in about 12 months.
Story is courtesy of Philadelphia Gay News via the National LGBTQ Media Association. The National LGBTQ Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: https://nationallgbtmediaassociation.com/