CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — With the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in the rearview mirror, Democrats are laying out plans to turn their conventional excitement into an electoral victory.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, of Evanston, has been championing female empowerment for her entire career, and she told WBBM that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is an inspiring chance to see a woman finally make it to the White House.
On the convention floor this past week, she talked about the mobilization that will be needed in order to continue the momentum seen in the past weeks. The stakes, she said, couldn’t be higher.
“There’s concrete things, like abortion rights, that can be restored,” Schakowsky said. “And I have to tell you, I’m going for the trifecta: for the House, the Senate and the White House. When that happens, we’ll restore the rights of women; we’ll protect the rights of the LGBTQ; we will protect the rights of people of color.”
Among those contributing to efforts to get out the vote is popular drag queen BenDeLaCreme, who’s one of the founders of what’s known as the Drag PAC, a political action committee working to bring together drag queens from all over the country.
Drag PAC fights for LGBTQ+ rights and is working to end anti-trans and anti-drag laws, in part by empowering young people to vote in 2024.
BenDeLaCreme told WBBM’s Rachel Pierson that political advocacy by drag queens is nothing new.
“Most of us know that drag queens and trans women were at the helm of the Stonewall Riots — that, really, is what a lot of people sort of attribute the beginning of the movement to,” BenDeLaCreme said. “But we’ve been involved before that; we’ve been involved since, and oftentimes that is just by necessity, because we don’t have an option. When you are the sparkliest target in the room, leaving the house is a political statement.”
A statement made loud and clear.
Go behind the headlines of the DNC and the campaign ahead on tonight’s At Issue program, which airs every Sunday 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.
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