Those of us who are politically minded have long understood why representation matters. When members of underrepresented communities hold seats of power and influence, the conversation changes; the struggles of marginalized people become less impersonal to those in the majority; and more equitable laws and culture develop.
Both of us have supported out LGBTQ candidates since our teens. We have always wanted LGBTQ people to be fully equal under the law. That’s why we invest our time as board members of Equality California and as members of the leadership at the LGBTQ Victory Fund—to help elect LGBTQ people, and to pass pro-LGBTQ legislation.
That said, representation matters for all people coming from marginalized communities where they lack representation and power: women, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants and so on.
We were both asked recently to support the out gay candidate, Scott Nevins, in the upcoming Palm Springs Council District 1 election, “because we have to support the gay candidate.” Palm Springs has a majority LGBTQ population and a supermajority LGBTQ City Council. We, LGBTQ people, are lacking neither representation nor power in Palm Springs.
However, people of color are lacking representation and power. Palm Springs decided to move from at-large elections to district elections due to a lawsuit to help ensure better representation of communities of color. District 1, in particular, was designed to ensure a high likelihood of electing a person of color, because the districting committee and council understood that representation matters.
Based on current estimates, 38% of Palm Springs identifies as non-white. However, even with Councilmember Grace Garner in office, the Palm Springs City Council is only 20% non-white.
It’s also worth noting that the council could lose two other women on the council over the next two years, as Councilmember Christy Holstege and Mayor Lisa Middleton are likely to be elected to state-level offices. Even if only one leaves, and if Grace were to lose, the council could potentially be down to one female identifying member, while the population is 40% female. Representation matters.
District 1 is currently represented by Councilmember Garner. She is native to Palm Springs, female and a person of color; she has a strong voting record on the council. While we admire Nevins for his work with DAP Health, we cannot in good conscience support another cisgender white man, gay or not, in opposition to an incumbent woman of color when people of color are underrepresented, and where LGBTQ people are already well-represented. Representation matters.
As two white, queer, cisgender people, we are proud to support Grace and the underrepresented communities to which she brings a voice.
Sue Burnside and Darrell Tucci are longtime LGBTQ+ rights activists. Both serve on the board of directors of Equality California and on the campaign board of the National LGBTQ Victory Fund. Burnside is a long time resident of Palm Springs and Los Angeles. Tucci lived in Palm Springs for 8 years before moving to San Diego 20 months ago.
Community Voices: Representation Matters, and We’re Supporting Grace Garner in Palm Springs District 1 is a story from Coachella Valley Independent, the Coachella Valley’s alternative news source.