The Gayly to cover the Democratic National Convention

“Members of the LGBT community are our friends, family members, our neighbors and members of our communities,” says DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Proudly, The Gayly’s Editor in Chief, Robin Dorner, and Staff Writer, Sara Ritsch, will be traveling to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this month, reporting LGBT news back to the South Central region of the United States.

In 2016, the Democratic Party suffers from a political separation – the efforts to unify have thus far been moot, with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters perpetually at odds. But the goal of the Democratic National Convention is to unify the party while nominating a candidate for president and vice president and adopting a comprehensive party platform.

This presidential nominating convention has been held every four years since 1832. Twenty years after its inception, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) took over its administration, and orchestrates it to this day. The convention will take place at the birthplace of American Democracy, Philadelphia, PA. According to the DNC website, this location will “highlight our shared Democratic values and help put the Democratic nominee on a path to victory.”

Delegates from our 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will be attending the convention, casting their final votes for the Party’s presidential candidate. Both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention signify the end of the primary election and the beginning of the general election season.

Historically, Democrats are committed to passing the Equality Act, which covers employment, housing and public accommodations. Democrats fight to ensure full equality for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons. Because of the injustice of discrimination that exists outside of the U.S., the Democrats are also dedicated to promoting and protecting international human rights.

“Members of the LGBT community are our friends, family members, our neighbors and members of our communities,” says DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “When we join together to fight discrimination where it exists, and when we celebrate the rich contributions that LGBT Americans have made throughout our history, we are a stronger nation for it, and our future is bright. We must elect a Democrat as the next president of the United States to build on the progress of the last seven years.”

The Democratic National Committee is committed to reaffirming the dignity and worth of the LGBT community, especially at a time when inflammatory rhetoric targets the community in an effort to pass anti-LGBT legislation in the states. Schultz condemns these actions as wrong, saying they only encourage bullying, cruelty and harassment. The Democratic Party is known for standing against legislation that harms marginalized communities.

"Our nation has made tremendous strides in the fight for full equality, but we have much farther to go before homophobia, transphobia and biphobia become a thing of the past. Until then, Democrats will continue to openly and proudly fight with the LGBT community, activists and allies to elect leaders and enact policies that advance acceptance and LGBT rights as our common cause,” Shultz says.

Our nation has made enormous leaps and bounds in recent years in the fight for LGBT equality. The result of dedicated groups standing up for what is right, often facing the cruelty of discrimination, bigotry and extreme violence, has propelled us into real and lasting change. The national legalization of gay marriage is now just over one-year-old, and each state fights either for or against the LGBT community now more than ever.

The Gayly – July 8, 2016 @ 10:40 a.m.

Over the last seven, almost eight, years of the Obama Administration, Democrats worked together to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and expanded federal hate crimes legislation when the president signed the first major federal gay rights legislation protecting citizens from violence.

Now, hospitals receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds must extend visitation rights for LGBT patients. Transgender veterans finally have access to the care they need through the VA benefits that they earned in service to our country. These are huge strides for the LGBT community.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch has been a staunch advocate for transgender equality since the genesis of bathroom bills, and President Obama has fought to ensure that federal employees and employees of federal contractors are now protected from discrimination and that transgender students are protected under new executive orders.

The fight may be long and hard, riddled with hatred and discrimination – but Democrats are proud to stand with the sisters and brothers in the LGBT community through that fight. And Dorner and Ritsch are proud to represent the LGBT community at the Democratic National Convention this July.