This article originally appeared on Windy City Times.
The Democratic National Convention’s (DNC) LGBTQ+ Caucus recognized several queer trailblazers, including trans activist Miss Major, on the third day of the convention, during which Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his pitch to America as the party’s vice-presidential nominee.
Walz headlined the DNC Aug. 21 at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., promising to “leave it on the field” and win the election against Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump.
A video introducing Walz highlighted his LGBTQ+ allyship by reminding viewers he was faculty advisor to a gay-straight alliance while coaching high school football in the late ’90s. Walz made a surprise appearance at the LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting on the DNC’s first day.
Walz envisioned a country where “where workers come first, healthcare and housing are human rights and the government stays the hell out of your bedroom.”
He also spoke on his commitment to ensuring reproductive rights, telling Republicans to “mind your own damn business.”
“And that includes IVF and fertility treatments,” Walz said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also took to the DNC stage, tearing into Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, for their “politics of darkness.”
“We know what we’re up against, but the most important thing is what we’re for,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg, who made history in 2020 when then-President-elect Joe Biden appointed him the first openly gay Cabinet secretary in U.S. history, was recognized on the DNC’s second day during a reception by the Victory Institute.
Other LGBTQ+ speakers included Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Kelley Robinson, the first Black, queer woman to lead the Human Rights Campaign.
Outreach to LGBTQ+ people has been a large focus within Harris’ campaign, officials have said throughout the convention and its caucus meetings. Sam Allman, LGBTQ+ engagement director at Out for Harris-Walz, outlined some of those efforts Aug. 21 at the second DNC LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting.
Since launching in April, the group has hosted more than 400 events in battleground states across the country, Allman said. The group has supported a number of Zoom calls supporting Harris, including the recent Trans Folks For Harris call led by Zahara Bassett, CEO of Life is Work, a Black-, Brown- and trans-led organization on Chicago’s West Side.
Out for Harris wants to organize similar calls for Black queer people, Broadway lovers, drag queens and moms who support their LGBTQ+ family. So far, the group has reached 30,000 people over the course of three calls, Allman said.
LGBTQ+ voters could “make or break” the election, Allman said.
Recognizing LGBTQ+ pioneers
The LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting was also a celebration of the community’s political trailblazers, including outgoing caucus chair Earl Fowlkes and various transgender leaders.
Fowlkes, president and CEO emeritus of the Center for Black Equity, has chaired the DNC’s LGBTQ+ Caucus since 2012, and Aug. 21 was his last before he retires from the role.
“This has been a very difficult process emotionally for me, because I can remember being in this room with 25 people,” Fowlkes said. “Our caucus has grown so much … and we’ve built this party larger and stronger.”
Fowlkes’ legacy includes growing LGBTQ+ representation among the DNC delegation to new heights. This year’s convention has more than 800 LGBTQ+ delegates, breaking a record set by Fowlkes virtual convention with 635 out delegates.
The LGBTQ+ Caucus also recognized Fowlkes by giving him the Jane Fee award, named after the first known transgender delegate to the DNC, for his allyship to the transgender community, which also saw record-breaking participation in the DNC among the LGBTQ+ delegation.
This year’s DNC had 45 transgender and gender-nonconforming delegates coming from 23 states, officials said.
Fowlkes said he was passionate about increasing trans representation and eliminating transphobia within the LGBTQ+ community and broader population. That’s why he used his power as caucus chair to create a transgender advisory board for the DNC, Fowlkes said.
“We have been standing on the shoulders of our transgender sisters and brothers for many years,” Fowlkes said before accepting his recognition.
The LGBTQ+ Caucus recognized several transgender trailblazers during its meeting, including Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender state senator in the country and candidate running to be the first openly transgender member of Congress; Danica Roem, the first openly transgender person elected to either house of the Virginia General Assembly; and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, often referred to as Miss Major, a Black, transgender activist who is a veteran of the Stonewall Riots.
Griffin-Gracy was born on Chicago’s South Side in the ‘50s and moved to New York City in 1962, where she got involved in the local drag scene and performed as a showgirl.
Being openly queer was criminalized at the time, with police often raiding drag shows and LGBTQ+ bars, including the Stonewall Inn, where Griffin-Gracy was on June 28, 1969, when the historic five-day riot began.
Griffin-Gracy reflected on how much progress has been made since then, and spoke candidly about the “bullshit” attacks Trump has made against transgender people.
“I’m not going back, I refuse to go back, and if he thinks we’re going back, fuck him,” Griffin-Gracy said.
