Task Force launches ‘Queer the Vote’ campaign to educate & activate LGBT supporters in this critical election year

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today launched “Queer the Vote,” a campaign to educate and mobilize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights supporters in this critical and volatile election year. There’s lots on the line this election for LGBT people and our families. While we’ve made historic gains — including having the first sitting U.S. president come out for marriage equality — there’s plenty left to do.

Queering the vote means educating LGBT people and our allies on the issues and challenges we and our families face because of a lack of employment protections, marriage inequality, and more. And, with so many treacherous voter suppression tactics being used by the opposition, we must do everything we can to promote voter registration nationwide. The Queer the Vote campaign kicks off in this annual Pride Month and runs throughout the summer and into the fall elections.

So, what exactly is on the line in 2012? Plenty. Potential rollback of voters’ rights; economic security; racial profiling; pushback on marriage equality momentum; limiting affordable access to health care; Social Security benefits; anti-marriage amendments in Maryland, Minnesota and Washington state; and a pro-marriage equality measure in Maine are just a few of the issues poised to be voted on Nov. 6.

What to do about it? We’ve got to “Queer the Vote” … that’s right, queer the vote to make sure the clock doesn’t get turned back to uglier times for LGBT people; queer the vote to keep making gains that dismantle the discrimination we face as families, as poor people, as people of all races, as women, as immigrants, as laborers.

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

No matter how you feel about politics and politicians, the fact is they’re the ones making profound decisions affecting each of us. They decide economic policy that determines how much money we have left each month for rent and groceries. They play a massive role in the lives of LGBT people and whether our families are recognized and treated fairly.

But here’s the key: We, the American public, are the ones who elect the people who are responsible for making these monumental decisions. Candidates matter, state issues matter, local propositions matter. What happens on Nov. 6 matters. And together we have the power to make sure our community gets heard.

There will be a robust “Queer the Vote” presence at Pride events around the country. The campaign includes “Pledge to Vote” postcards, in which LGBT people and our allies are asked to pledge to vote for equality on Nov. 6; a Queer the Vote website making it easy to register, get election info, download a voter guide; and ways to get involved to make a difference for LGBT equality.

Get full details here: http://www.queerthevote.org/