The midterm elections made history, but what comes next? DIVA spoke with the co-chair of the Democrats Abroad UK’s LGBTQ+ Caucus to find out
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGES BY DEMOCRATS ABROAD UK
LGBTQIA+ Americans held their breath as they awaited the results of the midterm elections in the US last week. Over the last few years, hundreds of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills and initiatives were introduced, making life even harder for queer and trans Americans. In the lead-up to the midterms, President Donald Trump and many Republicans campaigned by attacking diversity, inclusion and LGBTQIA+ rights, especially those of the trans community. Yet, as the results started pouring in, many let out a sigh of disbelief and relief. The Democrats were victorious – winning the biggest congressional landslide in 50 years. Even better? It’s the queerest Congress on record, with a historic number of openly queer and trans members.
Freya Proudman (she/her) is the openly bisexual co-chair of the Democrats Abroad UK’s LGBTQ+ Caucus. I’m eager to hear more from her about what this monumental win means not only for queer and trans Americans, but our global community as well.
“In terms of trans rights and LGBTQIA+ equality, it is a really important moment because the backdrop of this was so horrendous,” Freya tells me. “The fact that even in the darkest days, we can rally, we can fight back, and we can win is such a fantastic message. The queer community has really been in the trenches in the last few years, really fighting for our rights. So this [election] brings a great deal of hope, but also a responsibility. Now we have the power; we really have to do something with it.”
“Even in the darkest days, we can rally. We can fight back”
One of the things Freya would most love to see coming out of this win is the passing of the Equality Act. While the US’ 1964 Civil Rights Act protects against characteristics such as religion and race, it doesn’t list sexual orientation and gender identity. “I would love to see the gayest Congress in history, that we know of, getting the Equality Act passed, and finally enshrining the protection of sexual orientation and gender identity into anti-discrimination protections.” She adds, “It’s such a moment of responsibility where they can do something now in Congress for queer rights.”
It wasn’t just the election winners that sparked queer joy during the midterms. It was great to see many voters vote progressively on LGBTQIA+ issues. On the ballots, Missourians voted against a bill that could have harmed transgender healthcare and trans rights. Virginia voters opted to remove a same-sex marriage ban from their constitution. “That ban had essentially been defunct since the 2015 Obergefell case, where we got federal same-sex marriage because of the Supreme Court case. But Virginia still had this same-sex marriage ban in their Virginia constitution,” Freya explains. “Virginians voted to get rid of that, which is hugely important. Virginia’s state motto is that they’re the state of lovers, and now we can really say that Virginia is the state of lovers.”
“What the Republicans do, what Trump does, is they campaign on a message of hate. [The midterms show] it does not work. American voters are choosing love. They are choosing love over hate. If you campaign on anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-trans rhetoric, it doesn’t win elections, it doesn’t serve anybody, so you might as well drop it.”
“Virginia’s state motto is that they’re the state of lovers, and now we can really say that Virginia is the state of lovers”
The ballots were, of course, not entirely positive. In some states, voters voted against the community. These losses have only added fuel to Freya’s fire, who uses one word to describe the LGBTQIA+ community: resilient. “When we see that progress isn’t being made, all that does is make us work so much harder. We know we’re not free until we’re all free. In the United States, it shouldn’t matter which state you go to; this is the United States. You should have all your rights protected, regardless of which state you live in. We’re not going to leave anybody behind,” Freya enthuses. “We know the trans community has been hit really hard. We’re not leaving our trans friends behind.”
For those who wanted the Democrats to win, the past week has been full of celebration. But what comes next? “We want to mobilise and deliver on the things that we’ve been elected to do. I really want to stress the universality of the problems,” Freya tells me. “As queer people, we, of course, care about queer equality. But we are also affected by the same things that affect other Americans.”
Freya highlights how LGBTQIA+ people, who can rely heavily on healthcare due to HIV support, gender affirming care and fertility treatments, are impacted by the Republican attacks on healthcare. “The Democrats are going to reverse the $1 trillion of healthcare cuts that were brought about by the Republicans. That was actually the largest transfer of wealth from the American people to the 1% in history.”
Freya shares that the affordability crisis and getting everything back on track economically are at the forefront of the Democrats’ action plan. The party will also deliver on LGBTQIA+ protections, such as the Equality Act.
I’m curious to find out if Freya thinks we could see a ripple effect of progress here in the UK and the wider world. “We were speaking to the director of the Tennessee Equality Project. He told us that when the UK passes anti-trans regulation, state officials in Tennessee will use that same logic and say, ‘Well, the UK has passed it. If somewhere that we think of as great as the UK can pass these really harmful policies, then we should do them in Tennessee.’” Freya reflects. “It’s really important to understand that what happens for queer rights in one place does impact the fight for queer rights in other places.”
“Maybe one day we can have an openly LGBTQIA+ president. How amazing would that be?”
The queer and trans visibility from the election’s Rainbow Wave has undeniably had an impact. A smile spreads on Freya’s face as she talks about seeing the crowd go wild during Chris Pappas speech when he thanked his husband. Pappas was notably the first openly gay man to be elected to the US Senate. “Seeing people like us [gaining positions of power] is so moving and powerful. I really hope that there’ll be more to come and maybe even one day we can have the highest branch.” Freya beams. “Maybe one day we can have an openly LGBTQIA+ president. How amazing would that be?”
Freya leaves me with an important message: “I want all Americans living abroad to know that you can still have a huge impact on what happens in America. Often, Americans abroad can be the margin of victory in some of the really close elections. As a queer American abroad, don’t feel discouraged. Know that your vote matters, and there’s a community for you. We have our LGBTQ+ Caucus that Americans abroad are welcome to join. We are here for you and want to help you have your voice represented.”
If you are an American living abroad, you can vote at votefromabroad.org.
You can find out more about Democrats Abroad UK here: democratsabroad.org/uk
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