Vote!

Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official of any large city in the United States. Milk was elected San Francisco city supervisor in 1977. He was assassinated the next year by a recently resigned city supervisor who had opposed a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights bill Milk had helped enact. Despite evidence that the murder was premeditated, Milk’s assassin was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to less than eight years in prison. He was paroled after serving just over five years of the sentence.

Voting is the essence of our democracy, but it is something we often take for granted. It’s not always easy, or fun, to vote. Many countries make Election Day a holiday. The United States does not. Voting can mean waiting in a long line before or after work. It is only natural to be tempted to go home to rest or be with your family instead of heading to the polls.

Maybe it helps to remember that going to vote means doing something for your family. You have the ability to cast a vote that could make a difference, not just for you, but for your children, for your partner, for your brother or sister.

We don’t mean to scold or berate you. We realize that, if you’re reading this, you probably care about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, and you’re probably more likely to vote than the average citizen. If you already vote, please take the time to ask other people you know to vote.

We’re not endorsing any particular party or candidate. We are saying, in as full-throated and enthusiastic a way as possible, that it is very important to vote!

It is not only important to vote in presidential elections — every election matters. For example, senators, along with the president, play an important role in appointing federal judges. When a vacancy opens on any federal court, including the Supreme Court, the president chooses a nominee for the open seat. The U.S. Senate has the responsibility under the Constitution of “advice and consent,” which means, most importantly, that it decides whether to confirm the president’s nominee. The Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings for each nominee to the federal bench and has the opportunity to ask questions in order to determine whether the president’s choice should be confirmed. Senators also vote on whether to confirm the nominee.

What does this all mean? In essence, when you vote for president or for a senator, you are voting for federal judges.

Opponents of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights fully understand the link between choosing senators and choosing judges. A wildly extreme Senate candidate in Ohio who wants to make same-sex relations a crime punishable by death, Merrill Kaiser, puts it this way: “I believe that the United States has been moved in a godless direction by the courts. To get good men on the court, we need good senators.”

Those who oppose gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights and want a country where GLBT Americans are second-class citizens are working to elect senators and presidents who will choose judges and Supreme Court justices who will condone discrimination. If you don’t make your voice heard by exercising your right to vote, these opponents of equality are the ones who will get to decide if GLBT Americans enjoy the rights promised by the Constitution.