A transgender, non-binary U.S. House of Representatives candidate from Louisiana posted a campaign ad offering testosterone injections.
Mel Manuel is a Democratic congressman running against anti-LGBTQ+ Republican incumbent Steve Scalise in the state’s 1st Congressional District, which includes New Orleans and the surrounding area. In the ad, posted on social media, Manuel wears a T-shirt with the words “My Body My Choice” printed on it and argues that democracy is at stake in this year’s elections.
“The pernicious forces of fear and hatred threaten to engulf our country,” Manuel says. “If we do not take a stand, the November election could be the last gasp of democratic freedom as we know it. ” And then they inject themselves with testosterone and say, “LGBTQ rights are human rights.”
Manuel is the Director of Operations for the Louisiana Abortion Fund and Co-Director of Queer North Shore. They are founding members of the St. Tammany Library Alliance and currently serve on the executive committee of the Louisiana Democratic Party. They also have 15 years of experience teaching in public schools.
In addition to their advocacy, LGBTQ+ Equality and Reproductive Freedom, Manuel’s key issues include improving public education, increasing teacher salaries, and establishing a universal basic income program.
“Not only are wages low here, but school conditions are absolutely terrible for the majority of educators. The only way to attract the best teachers is to pay competitive salaries,” Manuel recently said. spoke. center square, Non-profit news organization.
Louisiana’s election calendar is unusual. The Nov. 5 election will feature a primary between Manuel, Scalise, two other Republicans, and an independent candidate. If either candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, that candidate has won the seat. If no one passes the 50% threshold, the top two vote-getters will advance to the December 7 general election. Scalise, a seven-term incumbent, is considered likely to win. According to , he and Manuel are the only candidates who have received campaign contributions. center square And Ballotpedia.
“Last summer, there were growing calls for the book to be banned,” Manuel said. nation “I went to a library board meeting and the room was full of LGBTQ allies. After the meeting, people said they couldn’t believe there were so many queer people and allies in St. Tammany Parish. There were many. [Louisiana’s term for counties];They thought we didn’t actually exist here. I realized that we are invisible. ” Manuel then decided to run for office.
“We don’t have the numbers to win,” they admitted. nation. “Katie Darling” [Scalise’s Democratic opponent in 2022] Last time she ran, she received about 25 percent of the vote. Even if your candidate doesn’t win, being able to increase turnout to 35 or 40 percent means the next progressive candidate can get more money. The chances of winning are very, very low, and I understand that, but it is possible to use the role of candidacy as a platform in itself. ”
their Campaign siteManuel says: In fact, I never considered myself politically minded until Christian nationalists targeted the LGBTQ+ community in the form of pro-censorship campaigns and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. I’m running away because I realized that no one is coming to save Louisiana. We, the people of Louisiana, must be our own saviors and our own heroes. We must take back our state and build a Louisiana for everyone. ”
Louisiana is the only state that has never elected an LGBTQ+ state representative, let alone a member of Congress. Livul Sykes, a trans woman, began campaigning for the state’s 5th Congressional District earlier this year, but withdrew, citing personal issues. Davante Lewis, a Black gay man elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission in 2022, becomes the first LGBTQ+ person elected to a Louisiana government agency and the first Black LGBTQ+ person to hold public office in Louisiana. Ta. His term of office runs until 2028.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
