The strength of being here
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GOP fear mongering shows desperation
The Washington, DC Board of Elections texted me early in Pride Month that my ballot for the June 16 primary election had been received and would be counted. That is good.
Another good thing, especially in these challenging times, is to remember the progress we have made. It has been social and cultural and not only political. In addition to advancing LGBTQ+ equality in courts and legislatures, we have raised expectations among the young. Those expectations are very hard for right-wing demagogues to undo.
Permit me to cite a hometown example. A friend on Facebook wondered why former DC Council member Vincent Orange has not gotten more traction in his race for mayor. I pointed out that in a failed 2006 mayoral run, he called his four rivals morally unfit because they supported marriage equality. Getting him to budge on that issue was like pulling teeth. Fortunately, he was an outlier. The council passed civil marriage equality in December 2009.
Someone’s need for attention is not enough reason to elect them in perpetuity. In the 2022 primary election for the Ward 5 DC Council seat, Orange’s ubiquitous campaign signs availed him nothing as Zachary Parker beat him nearly three to one. Parker became the first openly gay black DC Council member. He represents a new generation of leaders. My generation laid the groundwork for them.
Perennial candidates like Orange remind me of an old song, “How can I miss you when you won’t go away?” But it is better to focus on younger, more responsive leaders who have taken their place.
This positive trend is being seen around the country. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a remarkable example of overcoming smears with a positive message and thousands of volunteers knocking on doors throughout the city. He has already balanced the city’s budget, lowered the crime rate, and secured funding for universal child care, worker and small business restitution, and tenants.
James Talarico in Texas, running for a US Senate seat against Republican Ken Paxton, is hitting back sharply against ridiculous smears including charges that he is transgender and a vegan.
Regarding trans people, the false claim is made that sex-change surgery is being performed on children. If the people so alarmed about the small population of trans people were sincere rather than just exploiting fear and ignorance, they wouldn’t need to lie so much.
As for the vegan charge, why anyone cares what other people eat baffles me, but we are talking about Texas. Talarico said he has been eating barbecue since before Paxton’s first indictment.
That’s the kind of confident campaign messaging we need more of. Democrats don’t have to fall for the Republican politics of distraction.
Another challenge Democrats face is their hand-wringing over imperfect candidates. An example is Graham Platner of Maine, a Democrat running for the Senate seat currently held by Susan Collins. On one drunken night as a Marine, he got a skull and crossbones tattoo resembling a Nazi sign. Now he turns out to have been sexting with women other than his wife. Notably, his marriage survived that challenge. Control of the Senate is at stake.
With MAGA zealots trying to disenfranchise and erase large portions of the population, it is crucial for the rest of us to take better advantage of the reality that we are still here.
As with Pride Month, we don’t need permission to celebrate who we are and fight for our interests.
The Senate approved $70 billion Trump wanted for immigration enforcement. Does anyone think he won’t try to use his hooligans to steal the election? He is a mad tyrant who thinks he is the law.
We cannot control what others do. But if there is to be any hope for our republic, we must vote no matter what. I don’t mean you should argue with ICE agents. The point is to vote unless you are physically prevented from it.
We are dealing with opponents who think they display strength by erasing rainbow crosswalks. They think they show how pro-life they are by denying emergency surgery to women with life-threatening ectopic pregnancies. They think they uphold law and order by hiring masked thugs to terrorize people in our cities and throwing people into detention centers without due process. They claim to protect children while shielding wealthy suspected pedophiles.
A backlash will come, and will not be kind to them. In the meantime, we must live our best lives and stand our ground.
Richard Rosendall is a writer and activist who can be reached at [email protected].
Copyright © 2026 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.
The Washington, DC Board of Elections texted me early in Pride Month that my ballot for the June 16 primary election had been received and would be counted. That is good.
Another good thing, especially in these challenging times, is to remember the progress we have made. It has been social and cultural and not only political. In addition to advancing LGBTQ+ equality in courts and legislatures, we have raised expectations among the young. Those expectations are very hard for right-wing demagogues to undo.
Permit me to cite a hometown example. A friend on Facebook wondered why former DC Council member Vincent Orange has not gotten more traction in his race for mayor. I pointed out that in a failed 2006 mayoral run, he called his four rivals morally unfit because they supported marriage equality. Getting him to budge on that issue was like pulling teeth. Fortunately, he was an outlier. The council passed civil marriage equality in December 2009.
Someone’s need for attention is not enough reason to elect them in perpetuity. In the 2022 primary election for the Ward 5 DC Council seat, Orange’s ubiquitous campaign signs availed him nothing as Zachary Parker beat him nearly three to one. Parker became the first openly gay black DC Council member. He represents a new generation of leaders. My generation laid the groundwork for them.
Perennial candidates like Orange remind me of an old song, “How can I miss you when you won’t go away?” But it is better to focus on younger, more responsive leaders who have taken their place.
This positive trend is being seen around the country. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a remarkable example of overcoming smears with a positive message and thousands of volunteers knocking on doors throughout the city. He has already balanced the city’s budget, lowered the crime rate, and secured funding for universal child care, worker and small business restitution, and tenants.
James Talarico in Texas, running for a US Senate seat against Republican Ken Paxton, is hitting back sharply against ridiculous smears including charges that he is transgender and a vegan.
Regarding trans people, the false claim is made that sex-change surgery is being performed on children. If the people so alarmed about the small population of trans people were sincere rather than just exploiting fear and ignorance, they wouldn’t need to lie so much.
As for the vegan charge, why anyone cares what other people eat baffles me, but we are talking about Texas. Talarico said he has been eating barbecue since before Paxton’s first indictment.
That’s the kind of confident campaign messaging we need more of. Democrats don’t have to fall for the Republican politics of distraction.
Another challenge Democrats face is their hand-wringing over imperfect candidates. An example is Graham Platner of Maine, a Democrat running for the Senate seat currently held by Susan Collins. On one drunken night as a Marine, he got a skull and crossbones tattoo resembling a Nazi sign. Now he turns out to have been sexting with women other than his wife. Notably, his marriage survived that challenge. Control of the Senate is at stake.
With MAGA zealots trying to disenfranchise and erase large portions of the population, it is crucial for the rest of us to take better advantage of the reality that we are still here.
As with Pride Month, we don’t need permission to celebrate who we are and fight for our interests.
The Senate approved $70 billion Trump wanted for immigration enforcement. Does anyone think he won’t try to use his hooligans to steal the election? He is a mad tyrant who thinks he is the law.
We cannot control what others do. But if there is to be any hope for our republic, we must vote no matter what. I don’t mean you should argue with ICE agents. The point is to vote unless you are physically prevented from it.
We are dealing with opponents who think they display strength by erasing rainbow crosswalks. They think they show how pro-life they are by denying emergency surgery to women with life-threatening ectopic pregnancies. They think they uphold law and order by hiring masked thugs to terrorize people in our cities and throwing people into detention centers without due process. They claim to protect children while shielding wealthy suspected pedophiles.
A backlash will come, and will not be kind to them. In the meantime, we must live our best lives and stand our ground.
Richard Rosendall is a writer and activist who can be reached at [email protected].
Copyright © 2026 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.
