While I respect and appreciate the work of Liberty City Democrats, I am concerned about two matters that focus on their usually excellent endorsement process.
Let me begin with Liberty City’s endorsement of the incumbent City Controller. Free debate occurred the evening of the endorsement and the environment seemed free of intimidation and inducements. But, immediately subsequent to the endorsement, that incumbent City Controller wrote Liberty City a check for $5,000.
While I certainly do not suggest actual impropriety, I am confident in saying there is now the appearance of an impropriety. More dangerously, it may suggest to others in the political realm that Liberty City has a “pay for play” policy and that gay votes can be “bought” — giving a new meaning to “gay for pay.”
Perception is reality, which is why appearances and impressions matter so very much.
Liberty City may need some contributions to print literature and such, but Bob Dylan wrote, “Money doesn’t talk — it swears.”
Who can argue with that?
My other concern is Liberty City’s endorsement of candidates who clearly opposed or equivocated on gay marriage and gay adoption.
One candidate had to be asked his position three separate times because of his intently evasive answers. On the evening of the endorsement, that candidate’s position remained murky and disputable, but he was endorsed anyway.
Another candidate is a deacon in a church where gays, once discovered, are given “the boot.” He made it plain he doesn’t support adoption or marriage and declined to support the civil rights of transgender members of our community. This guy got endorsed too.
Rightly, Liberty City requires written answers to an array of community concerns.
Wrongly, many of those critical answers are ignored on the night of endorsement.
I am gay and want to know I’m voting for someone who acknowledges that my rights are the same as theirs. How can we rally to the side of candidates who decline to acknowledge our full equality?
Nothing is perfect and the work of Liberty City remains super-valuable, but there needs to be an internal conversation about taking the $5,000, and backing candidates who are ambivalent about us.
I would encourage a new resolve to dramatically increase the numbers of gay candidates they recruit to run for office. Philadelphia still is void of out/gay members of City Council, our delegation to Harrisburg and Washington and row offices, e.g. register of wills, sheriff, etc. In this regard, we are way behind other cities with sizable gay populations.
Contentedly, I close as I began, expressing respect and appreciation for Liberty City.
Jay A. McCalla
Society Hill
I'd like to provide some context about the Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club's endorsement process as described by Jay McCalla in his letter to the PGN.
Liberty City is a fifteen-year old, all-volunteer, member-driven organization. Each and every endorsement vote the club makes is decided by a vote of our members. Membership is defined by attending two events per year and paying annual dues. Membership is open to all. There is simply no way--short of ballot box stuffing--for our board or endorsement committee to fix a vote. This is partially because we revamped our bylaws in 2006 to close any loopholes that would allow stacked vote. But mostly our process is fair because our club is set up so that all members are equal, rather than allowing decisions about endorsement to rest in the hands of an elite group.
Members come from all walks of life and membership is open to the community. All decisions about endorsements are made by club members.
To criticize the decisions of Liberty City without acknowledging the role of various and diverse individuals from the community is a folly. I invite everyone to visit www.libertycity.org to read the explanation there about why club members endorsed each candidate included in this year's slate, as well as the candidates' original answers to our questionnaire.
Mr. McCalla is right that many of the candidates we endorse for office make contributions to our get-out-the-vote-effort. We are an all-volunteer group and although we rely as much as we can our members to fund our work, tto cover 100 divisions on E-day, as is our plan, and to print literature requires, and place ads requires extra funds.
We have asked candidates to contribute toward our GOTV program every year that I have been involved in the organization: Some do and some don't. And that has had nothing to do with who has been endorsed or supported on Election Day. We have a solid track record among candidates for office and political insiders as having a fair endorsement process and a transparent get-out-the vote operation. That perception is reality.
Mr. McCalla also makes the claim in his letter that the club endorses candidates who do not support "full equality." To some, equality only means marriage. To me, full human rights must also include the freedom not to be beaten when walking down the street, to be harassed at school, or to be able to get or keep a job regardless of gender or sexual identity. It's not a simple matter to determine which candidate for office will best serve the long-term interests of the LGBT community, and the larger city in which it exists. Especially when the offices in question each have a different impact on the issues important to us. Despite that, I think our members do a pretty good job of figuring it all out, especially considering that none of us are policy experts.
That doesn't mean that we all like the outcome of our group's endorsements--I have certainly not been crazy about some of them over the years--but those are the breaks when a majority is allowed to rule. We utilize a truly democratic process to make decisions and the simple fact is that if all agreed about who to vote for in the first place, there would not be a need for a group like Liberty City to exist.
Last, I'd like to point out that the Liberty City's Board has spent the last year diversifying our leadership to be as inclusive of the entire LGBT community as possible. We think that our diversity helps us to make the best possible political endorsements for the LGBT community by representing the opinions as many different parts of the community as we can. That is why our board has a majority of women and people of color, something not too many other progressive or LGBT groups in Philadelphia can claim. And we're working hard to make sure that our membership is equally representative of the community and that our entire organization is more welcoming to transgender follks.
So Mr. McCalla is right on target when he suggests that Liberty City examine its internal process to better itself. Luckily, this is something we already and always will do. If he--or other members of the community--wish to share their ideas or suggestions, I encourage them to get more involved in our group and be a part of a community of decision makers next time around.
Yours truly,
Ray Murphy
Co-Chair, Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club