The LGBTQ community will likely determine the outcome of several races this election cycle, including the U.S. Senate, House, and several state legislatures. GLAAD’s goal is to get LGBTQ voters out at the polls, early if possible. Early voting has already begun in Maine, California, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee, North Carolina, Washington state, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, Minnesota, and Texas! Several states are making it easier to vote by providing absentee ballots and in-person early voting options. This spring, guests at the GLAAD Media Awards helped to spread the word about the importance of voting. Over the last several months, you’ve likely seen videos of some of the biggest celebrities encouraging the LGBTQ commununity to vote on GLAAD’s Instagram.
We have more to share!
Two in particular are doctors, having done work in the HIV sector with COMPASS. The COMPASS Initiative® Faith Coordinating Center focuses on preparing ministry and nonprofit leaders to address the needs of vulnerable populations, such as LGBTQ people. Dr. Shonda Jones, a Wake Forest University Principal Investigator, works to establish best practices for recruitment and admissions and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. The other doctor in this video is Dr. Allison Mathews. A TED speaker, Dr. Mathews is also working at Wake Forest University in the Health Equity section of their Medical Center. Her TED talk was on fighting HIV stigma through access, mobilization, and equity. In this video, she shares a little about how equity can be served to LGBTQ communities by voting.
Harvard Business School graduate, Zameer Kassam, has worked at McKinsey & Company, Harvard Business School, and De Beers Louis Vuitton. He is now a renowned fine jeweler, even praised by Jonas Brother, Nick Jonas who used a custom Kassam ring to propose to his now wife, Priyanka Chopra. He also designs custom rings for LGBTQ couples, saying that LGBTQ enagement rings tell, “… The same beautiful love stories, with many more yet to be told.” Kassam cares about stunning rings and voting, too. People of all backgrounds, with anything from celebrity to doctor statuses, are getting out the vote.
The outgoing Chair of GLAAD’s Board of Directors is Pamela Stewart. She holds another Board of Directors position at Utz and is Vice President of West Operations for Coca-Cola company. Stewart posts tweets equating followers’ voices to voting, working to ensure everyone can and does exercise their right. Clearly, she uses available web and social media platforms to amplify her stance on voting.
Shameek Bose has had a career that spans working with the World Economic Forum to promote positive impacts from a global development strategist perspective to his new job at Accenture as a sustainability manager. Shameek also servess on the GLAAD Board Directors. He cares deeply about LGBTQ rights, as proven by his status as a 40 under 40 BEQ Pride 2022 awardee, and wants people to vote to ensure those rights remain in place here in the United States.
Celebrity singer/ songwriter, Lizzo, is a staunch supporter of LGBTQ people and their rights. Grammy award winner and Billboard Hot 100 awardee, the hip hop artist uses her Twitter platform for good in this recent post about the importance of voting this November. Not only that, she’s retweeting this every day until the election. This emphasizes Lizzo’s dedication to voter empowerment and proves her tweet wasn’t just a random three A.M. thought. It was very intentional and will hopefully have a powerful impact on eligible voters.
PLEASE DONT GET COMFORTABLE W THE STATUS QUO
PLEASE DONT GET DISTRACTED BY CURRENT EVENTS
THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE HERE
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE
THE SUPREME COURT DEPENDS ON IT
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH DEPENDS ON IT
VETERANS RIGHTS DEPEND ON IT
LGBTQIA+ RIGHTS DEPEND ON IT
— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) October 23, 2022
Surface Level Podcast is a Black and queer centered organization focused on creating a community that fosters curiosity. They promote non-toxic relationships and consent education. This year, they’re promoting voting too. All three podcasters shared some reasons about why they feel it’s necessary to vote.
Damez, a musical artist and Black Music Awards attendee, shares information about voting in Atlanta. He mostly focuses on rap and R&B, but he also showcases his talent through unique songs and choreographed dance performances. He is proud of his status as an active voter.
High performance coach, Eric L. Cox, who leads guided meditations and authored a book, shares images of Tennessee’s LGBTQ Town Hall and other LGBTQ affiliations related to voting or civic engagement. He, in this post, encourages his followers to vote with pride.
In short, everyone wants you to vote! Make a plan and pledge to vote. Visit www.glaad.org/vote to check your voter registration status and confirm your polling place.