Change in Our Communities, One Step at a Time

All week the media have reported on the importance of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries, but for the LGBT community, other Election ’08 issues took the spotlight. Though each of the following four people and events did not garner the national attention the way the primaries did, they did make waves in local news.

In Virginia, the first openly gay black candidate was elected. Lawrence Webb won a seat on the Falls Church City Council. For such an historic event, it was barely covered in mainstream press. National LGBT and local mainstream blogs however, reported on Webb’s win.

Over in Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer took notice of 18-year-old Kate Snyder, who founded her high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), and was recently chosen to be one of the six delegates representing her district at the Democratic National Convention.

Openly gay Portland mayoral hopeful Sam Adams was endorsed by The Oregonian on Sunday. Adams currently serves as City Commissioner.

And in Illinois, the State-Journal Register reported that the anti-gay group “Protect Marriage Illinois” failed to get their signatures and paperwork in order by Monday’s deadline, stalling their marriage ban efforts another two years. The Windy City Times also reported on the issue today.

The historic Webb victory, the young pro-LGBT Ohio delegate, Adams’ run for Portland mayor, and the absence of an anti-marriage measure on the Illinois ballot all speak to our changing culture. In the LGBT movement, we’ve seen these kinds of important changes on the local level, which has moved the conversation about these issues forward in communities across the country. Local victories are important and reflective, and notably: none of these issues were reported sensationally. Local press has taken these victories in stride, paving the way for coverage of future movement triumphs on a larger scale.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy