Politically speaking, a candidate or elected official takes a great risk when they support and protect a minority population when the majority includes those who oppose that minority group. It’s much easier to shy away from related issues and hope that you’re never placed in a position where you have to stand on principle and risk losing a portion of the majority vote.

To this end, we see our leaders sidestep difficult issues, defining their positions through explanations of political process and how their views are irrelevant. When we hear an elected leader say something akin to, “that’s an issue for states to resolve individually’,” or, “that’s not likely to be something I’ll never need to make a decision on”; what they are doing is attempting to avoid one of two things. Either they are proponents of protecting a minority, and don’t want to risk losing the votes of the majority; or, they are opponents of protecting a minority and want to avoid any backlash from that group.

All to often the rights of citizens are restricted due to being minorities, and the leaders we elect are not willing to take a stand for the preservation of those rights because doing so isn’t seen as being politically expedient.

And then there’s Pat Edmonson on the issue of gay rights. From the very start of her campaign, Edmonson has asserted the equality of all people and the need for all to be treated as equals under the law. Almost preemptively, Edmonson has placed the issue of gay rights at the forefront of her campaign. In a speech at the Central Committee Meeting of the Democratic Party of Virginia on February 7th, Edmonson challenged Democrats to be Democrats and to stand up for the rights of all people regardless of whether they were white, black, men, women, old young, gay or straight, etc. With Edmonson, there is no gray area when it comes to equality for all; and she’s not afraid to make that known.

The Edmonson campaign recently released a flier clearly showing Edmonson’s support for the gay community, and calling for all Virginians to get involved to work toward a better commonwealth.

Pat Edmonson is a different kind of candidate, who is running a different kind of race. She’s not afraid to stand up for the things that are important to her and many others, regardless of political expediency.

So, now that we have one candidate willing to stand for equality; where are the others? Isn’t it about time that all of our Democratic candidates, and leaders, stand clearly on the side of equality? Shouldn’t this be a part of our public discussion?

Where is everyone else?

[X-Posted to Blue Commonwealth]

Related posts:

1. Reflecting on the National Equality March
2. For GLBT equality, a coalition must be built