Rep. New York’s Ritchie Torres, seen here at Equality PAC’s National Pride Gala on June 13 at Union Station in Washington, DC, is working to increase LGBTQ representation in Congress.
Jon Fleming Photography provided by Equality PAC
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At night in Washington DC, the historic halls of Union Station are decorated for a glittering gala. Drag queens, political heavyweights, and Hollywood stars all came together to celebrate Equality PAC’s tenth anniversary.
“Welcome to our annual convening of the gay mafia,” quipped Rep. Ritchie Torres, DN.Y., for the crowd.
Torres is co-chair of Equality PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Equality Caucus created to advocate for “equality for all people regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.”
This celebration is more than just an anniversary, it is an opportunity to raise money to add to it $12 million the group has raised this cycle to help elect more open LGBTQ members and allies to Congress and pass the Equality Act — a bill that would provide protections for the LGBTQ community.
The PAC’s success over the years has allowed the group to go beyond just voting for LGBTQ candidates. It is now raising funds to support other key battlegrounds for the Democratic Party, including so-called front-line members fighting to keep seats in challenging districts and “red to blue” candidates looking to defeat Republicans..
“(Co-chair Rep. Mark Takano) and I’m very proud of that,” Torres said. “Because we know that without a pro-equality Congress, without Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, a Democratic Senate and a Democratic president, we will not be able to make the Equality Act the law of the land.”
Passing legislation is a tall order. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made the obvious, laying out the steps for the crowd: if the Democrats get a majority in the Senate, they can vote to “pull back” the filibuster to pass the Equality Act with 51 votes, instead of the standard 60 required.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif, used his comments to remind supporters that success depends on electing allies at all levels, including President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He told the audience that “it’s our job to remember” the support of the Biden administration.
“It was Joe Biden as vice president who came out in favor of same-sex marriage that then nudged President Obama to come out and become the first administration to support gay marriage,” he said. “And Vice President Harris, some of you from California may remember that he started marrying gay couples when he was DA in San Francisco — before gay marriage was even legal statewide.”
Expand LGBTQ representation in Congress
There are currently nine LGBTQ members of the House of Representatives and three senators in Congress. Equality PAC, one of several identity-based political action committees that fund Congressional races, is backing six House candidates to boost their ranks — all Democrats.
“If you’re a Republican who sponsors the Equality Act and sponsors every legislative priority for the LGBTQ community, then in theory you’re eligible (for PAC support),” Torres told NPR before the gala. “But in practice, there are no Republicans like that. And even if you have Republicans who are pro-LGBTQ, if you elect a speaker who is anti-LGBTQ, that’s a factor against you.
He said many in the LGBTQ community fear that their rights could be blocked after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that overturns the constitutional right to abortion.
Texas State Rep. Julie Johnson, seen here at the Equality PAC’s National Pride Gala on June 13, said she feels a sense of urgency to bring awareness at the federal level to anti-LGBTQ measures that are being advanced in the state legislature.
Jon Fleming Photography provided by Equality PAC
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Jon Fleming Photography provided by Equality PAC
“Despite the success of marriage equality in 2015, I think we need to be careful not to prematurely declare our mission accomplished, to avoid creating a false sense of security,” Torres said. “Women born in 2024 have fewer rights than they did in 1973, a tragic reminder that progress is inevitable, that LGBTQ rights can be as fragile as reproductive rights.”
Torres said he sees “a new culture war, and the main target is the trans community.”
“We are witnessing unprecedented fear and scapegoating of LGBTQ people, specifically members of the trans community,” Torres said.
Torres — who is the first LGBTQ Black-Latino member of Congress to run for office in 2021 — said his own political journey is a success of his PAC, and he is now paying to help a new candidate win decisively.
“I think campaigning is part problem-solving and part psychotherapy,” said Torres, who joined last year as chairman of the PAC, which Takano co-founded.
“We will host fundraisers, but also provide technical assistance on how to run the campaign. We provide emotional support to candidates. We give cell phone numbers to every candidate we agree with. So if there’s anything we can do to help, we will hurry.
‘PACS is not a political enemy’
Texas State Rep. Julie Johnson said that the kind of support from the Equality PAC helped her fend off a runoff election in the March primary, where the second candidate was thirty-one points behind her.
“PAC is not a political enemy. PACs create a vehicle for donors to unite in a common cause. I think we need to get out of this misnomer,” Johnson told NPR. “(Equality Pac has) been the biggest partner I’ve had on the road. They’ve introduced me to donors, they’ve helped me secure good consultants, they’ve helped me deal with some media issues, policy issues.
Democratic congressional candidate from Delaware Sarah McBride hugs Delaware State Treasurer Colleen Davis during a press conference on the steps of the Delaware Legislative Hall on March 4, 2024 in Dover, Delaware. If elected, McBride would be the first transgender person to serve in the US Congress.
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His district is considered a safe bet for Democrats. If elected in November, Johnson would be the first lesbian to represent Texas at the federal level and the first LGBTQ person to run for Congress from the South.
“It’s not lost on me the significance of what the election represents for a large number of people in Texas and across the country,” Johnson said. “For us to win it is very important and we also have to come out and be proud. I am the message that I am more than a gay man. It is definitely an important part of me but not all of me. I am a mother. I am a lawyer. And everything I come to the process. And so where I can resonate with the voters and they see themselves in me, whether they are straight or gay or not or whatever, because we also have many other things (in common).
He said that outside of the history-making bid, there was power in the campaign’s representation.
“Visibility at home is a big issue,” he said. “I come from a very large media market in Dallas-Fort Worth. And to be able to see political ads on TV that are positive, that engage the LGBT community and portray LGBT people in a positive way, it’s important when we get so many contrary messages on the Republican side . It really makes a difference for people to see themselves – ‘oh, God, someone – they see me.’ And this makes a big impact.
‘It’s harder to hate that’s close’
Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride knows the feeling of being a “first.” She is the first transgender person elected to the state senate and is poised to win a Delaware House seat in November, which would make her the first trans member of Congress.
“When people like me face such brutal and collective attacks, it’s so important to have a comprehensive and effective legislature at all levels of government that is trans, affirming that trans people are part of the diversity of this nation and empowering trans people. people,” he told NPR.
He said he was among a group of texts from Equality PAC-endorsed candidates.
“It’s a small group of people who know what they’re doing every day, and it’s really fun and helpful as a candidate,” he said.
McBride said he witnessed the impact of representation in his time in state politics.
“It’s harder to hate up close,” he said. “I’ve seen the power of the interpersonal relationships you make when you’re friends and colleagues — I’ve seen them change people’s attitudes, their minds, their hearts in Delaware. I know it can be a tall order in Washington, but I know it can be .
He said that eventually, if elected to the US Congress, he hopes that people will stop thinking about his identity when they think about his position.
“They will think about the policies that I have helped – I think this is the best way to ensure that I am the first, that I am not the last, and that we build a world that does not matter anymore. when a trans candidate runs and wins,” he said .
