Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

As of today, we’ve received and published Q&As from 13 candidates. 10 other candidates requested a Q&A, but still haven’t followed through on their commitment. At least 11 candidates ignored my request INCLUDING Josh Shapiro. I recently blogged about the WHY it matters piece of identifying candidates who haven’t followed through on their commitment or ignored my request altogether.

Of those who said yes and didn’t follow through: one represents me and my neighbors in Harrisburg. One is an out gay person who CALLED me to request the Q&A. Two are women who promised to change politics as usual when first elected. Neither candidate in the Lt. Governor’s race completed the Q&A I crafted at their request. The candidate for Governor didn’t even acknowledge much less request a Q&A.

Yes, Josh Shapiro’s campaign didn’t even acknowledge the request. To me that says, he knows I’ll vote for him regardless so I’m further down on the priority list. That’s gutting. He was the candidate I most respected when this campaign season began. That’s no longer true.

All of these people take our votes for granted. Only one candidate had the decency to decline, rather than waste my time or leave us wondering. They are all too busy, overextended, under-resourced, etc. Those who do acknowledge me tell me they are trying.

Trying isn’t good enough. We now know that the legal underpinnings of most of our rights are on the chopping block. You chose to run for office and its your job to explain how you are going to “find time” or “try” when you are in office if you can’t find time now. Don’t BS me – all of your voters are busy people who have competing priorities. I worked on campaigns and worked on Q&As myself – I know some of what happens. Candidates are not a special breed of people. And once you are in office, you don’t get to take LGBTQ voters for granted. Sure maybe you will still get our votes, but in your next election … will you get our campaign contributions? Our house parties? Our volunteer time? Will you retain our faith and trust in your credibility and sincerity?

Every pundit worth their salt is saying turnout in the midterms is critical. Turning out queer voters is part of that. Turning out Black voters and other people of color, turning out white Democratic women, turning out youth … those communities intersect with queer voters.

Here are the candidates who did respond. Responses from this election cycle are listed below in the order they were returned by the campaign

• .Q&A With NaTisha Washington, Candidate for PA House District 24
• Q&A With Jerry Dickinson, Candidate for U.S. Congress PA-12
• Q&A with Emily Kinkead, Candidate for PA House District 20
• Q&A with John Fetterman, Candidate for US Senate
• Q&A with La’Tasha Mayes, Candidate for PA House District 24
• Q&A with Jessica Benham, Candidate for PA House District 36
• Q&A with Deja Alvarez, Candidate for PA House District 182
• Q&A with Summer Lee, Candidate for US Congress PA-12
• Q&A with Sean Meloy, Candidate for US Congress PA-17
• Q&A with Arvind Venkat, Candidate for PA House District 30
• Q&A with Jonathan Lovitz, Candidate for PA House District 182
• Q&A with Malcolm Kenyatta, Candidate for US Senate
• Q&A with Sara Innamorato, Candidate for PA House District 21 

We have sent Q&A’s to these folks who have agreed to participate. Waiting for them to be returned. (10 candidates in Bold)

1. Summer Lee -PUBLISHED
2. Malcolm Kenyatta – PUBLISHED
3. Conor Lamb
4. Sean Meloy – PUBLISHED
5. Aerion Andrews
6. Abigail Salisbury
7. Alexandra Hunt
8. Zarah Livingston
9. Austin Davis
10. Lindsey Williams
11. Mandy Steele
12. Brian Sims
13. Robert Vigue
14. Arvind Venkat PUBLISHED
15. Deja Alvarez PUBLISHED
16. Sara Innamorato PUBLISHED

These candidates never acknowledged my request or asked for me to create a Q&A for them. (11 candidates inBold))

1. Josh Shapiro
2. Austin Davis Q&A sent as above
3. Brian Sims Q&A sent as above
4. Lindsey Williams Q&A sent as above
5. Sara Innamorato Q&A sent as above
6. Steve Irwin
7. Will Parker
8. Jeff Woodard
9. Chris Deluzio
10. Glen Grayson
11. Nick Mastros
12. Martell Covington – declined to participate
13. Randall Taylor
14. Brandon Markosek
15. Arvind Venkat Q&A sent as of 4/28/22
16. Mandy Steele Q&A sent as above
17. Tristan McClelland
18. Stephanie Fox

Don’t get mad at me or send your team to admonish me for holding you accountable. We are small as a population, that’s true. We don’t have as much money as other groups, that’s true. We have endorsements from the Steel City Stonewall Democrats, the Liberty City Democrats, and the Gertrude Stein Club, that’s true.

But our readers deserve better.