This is my last column before early voting starts in Florida, and I want to draw your attention to this: Voting is vital to our community. Your vote is your voice and together our voices are strong.
Being a keyboard warrior isn’t enough in this election. We need to be active and vote. Voting for our community extends beyond merely participating in elections; it encompasses advocacy for rights, representation and the ability to influence public policy affecting our lives.
Are you registered to vote?
Do you have a plan to vote in this election?
If you cannot answer yes to both of these questions, then you need to go to Vote.org and make it happen. In fact, just go to Vote.org anyway to make sure you are registered. They have a handful of resources to make sure you are registered, help you register if you are not and develop a plan to make sure your vote is counted in this election.
Now, let’s take it a step further. Your vote isn’t enough in this election. You need to reach out to your friends and family to make sure they are registered to vote and that they also have a plan to do so. In the 2020 election, 21% of LGBTQ+ adults were not registered to vote. In elections this close, a handful of votes in each precinct can change the outcome of an election. Oct. 7 is the deadline to register for this election, so take the time now to make sure you are ready.
Early voting in Florida runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 2.
Since this is a presidential election year, there is a lot of talk about who will fill the seat in the oval office. There is a movement of hope behind the Harris-Walz campaign and I hope we ride that wave to victory in November. However, this election isn’t just about the presidency.
Our votes will determine who our senator is, who our congressional reps are, who sits on the school board, who presides over our courts and whether women have the right to make their own health care choices.
We need to be as passionate about every race on that ballot as we are about the top of the ticket. Many issues that disproportionately affect our community are decided at the local level.
In Central Florida and Tampa Bay, communities face pressing problems such as homelessness, health care disparities and mental health resources. The LGBTQ+ youth homelessness rate is notably high and policies aimed at addressing this crisis depend heavily on local government initiatives.
Get your sample ballot and do your research. Know who you are voting for and vote in every category. Look at local candidate’s social media feeds and learn what they stand for. School board elections should be something everyone pays attention to because they directly affect your life as it affects the future of our communities.
For those who don’t consider themselves political, consider this take from a Republican at the Democratic National Convention: your vote isn’t political, it is patriotic. We owe it to ourselves and to the future of our community to be educated, active voters.
In this issue of Watermark we take a look at the 20th anniversary celebration for Central Florida’s Come Out With Pride and get close and personal with grand marshal David Bromstad. In Orlando news, we check in with The Pride Chamber’s Pride in Business Awards Gala and say goodbye to Pom Pom’s Sandwicheria and Teahouse. In Tampa Bay news, we look into St Pete Pride’s youth initiative with new youth program director.
In arts and entertainment, we talk to TV writer Stan Zimmerman and take a look at UCF’s “RENT.”
We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.
