Senator Sherrod Brown doesn’t mince his words about the stakes of the November election for LGBTQ+ Ohioans.
“The values of human rights. Values around dignity. Values of mutual respect,” he said. “It’s all on the ballot.”
With so much on the line, the three-term U.S. senator from Ohio is doing everything he can to energize LGBTQ+ voters to fight for re-election to the U.S. Senate in November.
On Monday, the three-term senator announced the formation of the “LGBTQ+ Ohioans for Sherrod” coalition, co-chaired by Ohioan Jim Obergefell – whose Supreme Court case legalized same-sex marriage in the United States – and Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, the first LGBTQ+ person to hold the position.
The coalition will work to engage LGBTQ+ Ohioans in Brown’s re-election campaign through direct voter contact, events with other LGBTQ+ Ohioans and relational organizing.
Community at risk
Noting the lack of legal protections both in Ohio and across the country, Obergefell wants Ohio’s queer community to understand that the upcoming election has the potential to undermine the rights LGBTQ+ Americans currently have.
“It is important that we work in our communities with our families and friends to educate them about the threats to our community with Sherrod’s election,” Obergefell said. “We really need to re-elect the senator because the alternative is just too scary.”
Brown’s Republican opponent in November is Bernie Moreno, a former car dealership owner who has changed his views over the past few years, becoming an outspoken anti-LGBTQ+ candidate.
“Bernie Moreno’s willingness to target LGBTQ+ Ohioans for political gain demonstrates the depth of his extremism and the shallowness of his character,” said Geoff Wetrosky, vice president of national campaigns at Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
A disturbing state of affairs
Brown is concerned about Ohio state legislators and their list of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and would prefer they focus on education, public safety and job creation in Ohio rather than bills that would force LGBTQ+ youth to live with their parents or deny them basic health care.
“Treating our children as props to score cheap political points does nothing to protect children,” Brown said.
Obergefell is quick to agree, emphasizing that the Ohio Legislature is “not representative of the people of Ohio” and choosing to focus on malicious attacks on vulnerable communities rather than working on bills that would improve the lives of all Ohioans.
“I cannot emphasize enough that Ohioans are not like those in power in the state legislature,” Obergefell said. “We are fortunate to have someone like Senator Brown who advocates for everyone in Ohio, not just specific communities.”
Support history
“LGBTQ+ Ohioans for Sherrod” aims to amplify the work Brown has done with Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community, beginning with voting against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. introducing the Senate’s first-ever Pride Month resolution in June 2017. Brown also helped host Equality Act, which would expand federal civil rights protections and combat discrimination against LGBTQ people in housing and the workplace. The bill passed the House for a second time in 2021, but did not gain enough Republican support to advance to the Senate.
In 2015, Brown joined the amicus brief in support of marriage equality, as the Supreme Court prepared Obergefell v. Hodges, a case that would legalize same-sex marriage in the United States. Sherrod also helped the transition Respect for the Marriage Act, which protects same-sex marriage. The act entered into force in 2022.
Still, Brown cautioned that one of the lessons he has learned from another fight – the fight for reproductive freedom – is that no amount of rights is lasting.
“I think we all thought that every victory we had on gay rights, every victory we had on women’s rights, every victory we had on voting rights was permanent,” Brown said. “But as Coretta Scott King said, every generation has a battle.”
He urged LGBTQ+ Ohioans to remain vigilant and continue the fight. He refers to the year 2022 bilateral adoption of the Act on the Respect for Marriage – repealing the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act – as a beacon of hope that there are indeed Republicans who want to support LGBTQ+ rights.
“Unfortunately, a lot of them don’t do that,” Brown said.
Casting your vote
Brown believes the key to re-election in November is the same as in all elections: turnout.
To accomplish this, he hopes Ohioans will take steps toward an election system that actually encourages people to vote, just as he has tried to do in his political career. He remembers that when he served as Ohio’s secretary of state, he worked with McDonald’s Corp. when printing voter registration forms on trays.
“The election boards received thousands of forms covered in ketchup and mustard, but they counted,” Brown said.
It’s the kind of creativity and determination that Brown wants LGBTQ+ Ohioans to embrace.
“It’s up to all of us to find a way to engage on this issue,” Brown said. “I know if everyone votes, I will win big.” 🔥
START ACTION
- For more information about Senator Sherrod Brown’s campaign, visit the website Here.
