Under new rules adopted by the Democratic National Committee, state parties have the mechanism to adopt numerical goals for LGBT Delegates in their delegate selection plans for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. These goals attempt to correct under-representation of the LGBT community in party affairs and ensure that they are engaged in the presidential nomination process.

Tennessee is one of only a select few states that has never sent an openly-LGBT Democrat to a national convention - no delegates, alternates or committee members - ever.

Why You Should Care

Establishing baseline goals for LGBT participation isn't just about sending openly-LGBT delegates to a national convention. These goals require state parties to interact with our community. This means that, for the first time, the Tennessee Democratic Party will be required to engage our community at upcoming Black Prides, pride festivals, community forums, Stonewall Democrats meetings and other events.

Remember that in 2006 the Tennessee Democratic Party refused to support efforts to defeat an anti-gay amendment to the Tennessee Constitution. As we move forward, we now have an opportunity to help the state party begin to stand up for Democratic values, instead of running from them.

The Problem

The Tennessee Democratic Party has published its proposed plan, which is now open for comments and suggestions before the final version is adopted. The Tennessee Democratic Party plan does not include goals for LGBT Americans. The party has also indicated that they do not intend to create such goals for the LGBT Community. This would make Tennessee one of only about 4 states to submit plans without goals for LGBT Americans.

Take Action!

Take a brief moment to email the Tennessee Democratic Party today and urge them to establish numerical goals for LGBT Americans. Your comment will be entered into the party record and considered when final revisions are made. Remember that this is a positive opportunity for the Tennessee Democratic Party to better engage the LGBT community. Be positive in your comments, but very clear in the action that you want the party to take.

Comments are being accepted by Kim Hayden Sasser, TDP Executive Director at: kim@tndp.org
(Comments are due on Sunday, May 27)

Please also Cc: John Marble: johnmarble@stonewalldemocrats.org

Sample Comment (For greater impact, please RE-WRITE TO MAKE THE LANGUAGE YOUR OWN):

I would like to comment on the proposed 2008 Delegate Selection Plan. I am concerned that no numerical goals have been established in order to represent the Democratic electorate of LGBT Americans. LGBT Tennesseans have served as a constant resource for Democratic campaigns in our state, yet our community is not acurately reflected in the affairs of our state party.

Tennessee has never sent an openly-LGBT person to a national convention. This dismal record means that the voices of our families continue to be limited by the actions of the Tennessee Democratic Party, and this record is one that we should be actively trying to correct.

As a Tennessee Democrat, I urge the Tennessee Democratic Party to establish goals for LGBT Democrats. Please revise the proposed plan to reflect this prior to submitting the final version to the Democratic National Committee for review.

Sincerely,