Dear Peter,

As a gay person myself, I understand how daunting elections can be. It can be overwhelming to wade through various candidates’ platforms and promises in order to understand what policies would support our own rights and dignity while also supporting the rights and dignity of other marginalized communities as well. In election seasons, I think the most important thing for us to do is to turn off the political pundits and take time to research candidates proposed policies and positions. You can do this by visiting their campaign websites, the official party websites, which often list the entire policy platform, and even rely on trusted organizations who release voting guides to help cut through political talk to know what a candidate actually supports. For LGBTQ+ specific issues, the National LGBTQ+ Taskforce and the Human Rights Campaign often share analysis of candidates' policies and potential threats to LGBTQ+ equality on the horizon. I also highly recommend looking at local advocacy organizations in your area, like Interfaith Alliance, Interfaith Power and Light, or other progressive faith organizations that will often also have extensive material related to policy threats and opportunities. At the end of the day, when we do the work to get informed and vote from our conscience, with a mind towards supporting the dignity and equality of not just ourselves, but all people, we can breathe easily knowing that we’re voting in alignment with our values.

~ Rev. Brandan Robertson