ABOVE: Diversity in Democracy mural artist John Gascot Sept. 25. Photo by Dylan Todd.
ST. PETERSBURG | The League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area (LWVSPA) has launched an LGBTQ Equality Voters campaign, an initiative designed to encourage civic participation from LGBTQ and ally voters.
The league is a nationwide, nonpartisan organization celebrating 100 years of encouraging active participation in all levels of government. Its 500-member St. Petersburg chapter was founded in 1939.
While the LWVSPA doesn’t make political endorsements, officials assert that they “are wholeheartedly political and stand up for issues to protect democracy.” That includes LGBTQ equality, LWVSPA Operations Director Julia Sharp says.
“Our priorities have long been a more general stance of human rights – and more recently, as a state league, we included LGBTQ rights on our platform,” she explains. “That was one of the first steps to make sure that we are fighting for equality at all levels.
“Locally in St. Pete, we were looking at what it means to have a representative democracy,” she continues. “The political is personal and it’s not enough for us just to talk about free and open elections or where to find election information. We need to be advocating for a more representative democracy.”
That led the chapter to apply for an LGBTQ-focused grant from The Plus Project and Community Foundation of Tampa Bay last year. After it was awarded in July, LWVSPA leadership officially began its LGBTQ Equality Voters campaign.
“It really allowed us as a local chapter to have the ability to focus on what’s important to our members in our community,” Sharp says.
The overall goal of the league’s LGBTQ campaign is to popularize civic participation among LGBTQ youth. While recognizing that voter suppression tactics disproportionately impact LGBTQ voters, they want them to see civic participation as a positive experience for all.
Officials are utilizing three approaches to accomplish this, beginning with their Empower the Vote youth initiative. Through the LWVSPA Speakers Bureau program, experts will provide interactive presentations to local organizations supporting LGBTQ youth throughout October.
For their Turn Out the Vote project, the league enlisted fan favorite area artist John Gascot to paint an interactive Diversity in Democracy mural at 556 Central Ave. The vibrant piece will showcase that voting is for everyone.
“St. Petersburg is very diverse and we don’t always see that represented in public art as much as we should,” Gascot says. “I was excited to create this piece that has a very obvious message: come out and get involved. Get registered and go vote.”
Artist James Hartzell assisted Gascot with the mural, which will also be embedded with PixelStix plaques, scannable technology that will link to voter resources provided by the league. Once visitors download the free PixelStix app, they’ll be able to view entertaining and educational voting-related public service announcements from and for members of the LGBTQ community.
“It’s a really beautiful piece and will be a great resource for mural visitors,” Sharp says. “It’s one of my favorite parts.”
View a gallery of photos by Dylan Todd from Watermark’s chat with Gascot and Sharp at the mural below, also featuring Sharp’s family and Hartzell:
The LGBTQ Equality Voters campaign will culminate Oct. 30 from 7-8 p.m. with a virtual Drag Out the Vote event. The “Hocus Pocus”-themed gathering will be led by drag entertainers Daphne Ferraro, Kathryn Nevets and Chi Chi Lalique, who this year celebrate a decade as the fan favorite Tampa Bay Sanderson Sisters.
“We really enjoy what we do,” Ferraro told Watermark last Halloween. “When you’re having fun it translates and the audience has fun with you. We’re committed to what we’re doing; the three of us are in sync and we’ve just always been that way.”
“We’re a family,” Nevets added. “We truly are sisters.”
The campaign will be livestreamed via the LWVSPA’s social media channels is designed to “cast a spell on you to drag out the vote” on Nov. 3. Organizers have also utilized the trio for social media marketing to raise awareness, also featuring photos by Watermark’s Dylan Todd:
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Sharp says of the forthcoming Drag Out the Vote event, “a nice balance of entertainment and education with some of our favorite local drag performers.”
Each facet of the campaign will rely heavily on the league’s nonpartisan, national voter resource guide. It allows voters to view their ballots, finding their polling or ballot drop-off locations and more at Vote411.org.
“In every election we’re making a choice,” Sharp says, “whether you go out and vote or you sit it out. Voters really do have all of the power – we want to make it as easy and fun as possible for them to know that. That’s the goal here.”
For more information about the LWVSPA and its LGBTQ Equality Voters campaign, visit LWVSPA.org. To view their election resource guide, visit Vote411.org.
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