When it comes to politics, LGBTQ Americans are vastly underrepresented. While they make up nearly five percent of the United States' population, LGBTQ individuals only hold a tenth of a percent of all of its elected offices, according to the LGBTQ Victory Institute. To help address this representation gap, advocates created National Out to Win Day to encourage LGBTQ Americans to run for office. If you want to know more about how to support LGBTQ politicians on Out to Win Day and beyond, the list below can serve as your guide.
Out to Win Day is being sponsored by the LGBTQ Victory Institute, along with 18 other partners, Watermark Media reported. The organization emphasized that that there needs to be significantly more LGBTQ individuals elected to office in order to close the representation gap. “America needs to elect 22,272 more LGBTQ people to achieve equitable representation,” the LGBTQ Victory Institute said in a statement, per Watermark Media.
The president and CEO of the organization, Annise Parker, also emphasized that it's especially imperative to directly reach out to LGBTQ Americans interested in running for office, both on Out to Win Day and always. "Many barriers to entry exist for LGBTQ people considering a run for office, but among the most significant is that we need to be asked more times than white straight cisgender men before we give it serious consideration,” Parker said to Watermark Media.
On this day of advocacy, there are many steps you can take to help further equal representation and ensure that it's a priority. These tips will help you take action now to address this important issue.
Nominate Someone (Or Yourself) To Run For Office
As part of National Out to Win Day, you use an online form on the Victory Institute's website to nominate an LGBTQ friend to run for office. You simply provide your friend's name and contact information, and they will receive an email with relevant information. Of course, it's definitely important to make sure your friend is interested in the possibility of running and okay with you nominating them before you submit the form.
Alternatively, if you have political aspirations of your own, you can also fill out an online form indicating that you will consider a run for office.
Support LGBTQ Political Candidates
The Victory Fund, which is associated with the Victory Institute, offers a list of LGBTQ candidates in local and national races on its website. You can help advance equitable representation by supporting these candidates in a variety of ways — through campaign donations, volunteering, and beyond. To find candidates in your area, simply use the Victory Fund's search tool to locate candidates by state and office level.
Raise Awareness
In order to address the representation gap, it's important to raise awareness about the need for more LGBTQ politicians — and about how to achieve this goal. Consider sharing information about National Out to Win Day with your friends and family, both in person and online. You can even use the Victory Institute's social media tools to share your message.
Moreover, you can also encourage those around you to similarly take action to get more LGBTQ candidates elected through donations, candidate support, and more.
Donate To LGBTQ Advocacy Organizations
Consider donating to the LGBTQ Victory Institute so the organization can continue its work to "build and support a diverse pipeline of LGBTQ leaders." You can make a one-time or reoccurring donation to the organization online.
Moreover, in order to help further support LGBTQ advocacy , you can also consider donating to one or several of the Victory Institute's partner organizations that helped organize National Out to Win Day. These organizations include GLAAD, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and many others listed on the Victory Institute's event information page.
Register To Vote — And Help Others Do The Same
If you (or others) wish to support LGBTQ candidates at the ballot box, you absolutely need to be registered to vote. You can verify your registration status with an online tool at Vote.org.
Once you confirm your own registration, consider helping others register to vote by volunteering at or hosting a voter registration drive in your community. If you're interested in hosting your own event, you can sign up for a free voter registration toolkit on Rock the Vote's website to get you started.
These represent just some of many ways you can help make equitable representation for LGBTQ individuals a reality in the political arena. If you want to work to achieve this aim, taking action on National Out to Win Day is a great place to start.
