The L Word

She is my second favorite Baldwin. Will Tammy Baldwin become the country’s first openly gay senator?

I am relieved that Baldwin is acknowledging that she is gay & then moving on to the issues. Even in Wisconsin, if the Republicans use anti-gay rhetoric, it would likely backfire on them. Everyone that I have met from the Badger State have been nothing if not nice, really nice.  Besides, Baldwin’s sexuality is old news. Who cares if she is a lesbian?  Not the Wisconsin news media. Not the academics who study politics. Not the professional Democrats. Not the professional Republicans. Not the local or national LGBT leaders.

With Wisconsin having just had a bruising battle over union rights to collectively bargain in the state, along with recall campaigns against state senators who supported their repeal, the political culture in this swing state, with only 5 five million voters, is even more divided than usual. That creates a perfect opening for a candidate like Baldwin, who is firmly on one side of the political divide.

Baldwin voted against going to war in Iraq, & is pushing to end the war in Afghanistan. She was also one of the few members of Congress to vote against repealing the Glass-Stegall Act, which would have prevented Wall Street & the banks from making the kinds of risky investments that led to our country’s near financial collapse. Baldwin believes in all people having access to quality, affordable health care.

In 1999, Baldwin became the first woman elected to Congress from Wisconsin & the first openly gay challenger elected to Congress.

To help reduce our dependence on foreign energy & create jobs throughout her state, Baldwin has pushed for investment in clean energy technology & renewable fuels. She has also been a vocal supporter of protecting & restoring Wisconsin’s environment so future generations can enjoy its natural beauty.

Tammy has been a national leader on civil rights and equality issues, including LGBT equality. She is continually fighting to see that all Wisconsinites receive equal rights and protections under the law. When she wins, Baldwin would not be the first openly LGBT candidate to win a statewide office, though none have won top political jobs & none have won statewide seats in the Midwest.

6 people have won state posts that required victory outside of gay friendly cities or liberal districts. Here in Oregon, we now have 3 openly gay officials: Kate Brown as current secretary of state, & Virginia Linder & Rives Kistler now on the Oregon Supreme Court. But the 2 biggest statewide prizes- governor & USA senator, have yet to be won by anyone openly gay. I know, I know, former New Jersey Governor- Jim McGreevey is gay, but he was a heterosexually married man when he ran for office, enjoying romance at Interstate highway rest stops. He resigned in 2004 when he was forced to admit he was having an affair with a man. If Baldwin succeeds, a new barrier to LGBT full political participation will have fallen.

Do not mess with this Baldwin. She was just 9 years old when her mother married a black man in 1971. Baldwin was forced to face the injustice of suspicious white adults stopping her stepfather to ask what he was doing with a blond, blue-eyed little girl. She was the first openly gay non-incumbent elected to Congress, & the first woman elected to Congress from Wisconsin. Despite anti-gay smear campaigns by her Republican opponents, she has won her last 4 elections by 2-to-1 margins.

Today is Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin's 50th Birthday. You Go, Girl!