DNC Elects New LGBTQ Caucus Chair Amid Chatter Of Abandoning Trans People

Featured Image: Photo courtesy of DNC LGBTQ Caucus Chair, Sean Meloy

Longtime LGBTQ advocate, Sean Meloy, has been appointed Chair of the LGBTQ Caucus within the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In this role, Meloy will drive LGBTQ interests and liaise with leadership and staff to ensure that the community is represented in the delegate goals set by each state. The Caucus, with about 60 DNC members who identify as LGBTQ, advises the Party on relevant issues, and works to get Democrats elected.

Winning is important, and Meloy knows it. But the Allegheny County native is mindful of ensuring that we don’t abandon any part of the coalition along the way. Some stripes of the rainbow have been fiercely under attack – most brutally by the Trump Administration. But there are also signs of a shift, a faltering, among some Democrats who are both publicly and privately questioning whether trans rights and diversity initiatives are potential liabilities. 

“Right now there is a lot of chatter about abandoning trans people because people think it will be easier to win – but Chair Martin and our caucus have made it clear that doing so does not align with our values – or the data of who we need to engage to win more elections,” Meloy tells GO. Meloy also wants to ensure that Dems are organizing in a distinct LGBTQ-focused way year round.

“We need to make sure we are building a Party that will win, as only Democrats will advocate for LGBTQ people,” he says. That means buildling out engagement opportunities for non-DNC members, hearing from the grassroots and then helping get the word out on how Democrats are fighting the anti-LGBTQ agenda of the GOP.

“People want a Party and elected officials that have a backbone and principles, and capitulating to the GOP is the real issue we have to worry about.”

An experienced local and national Democratic organizer, Meloy has served as the DNC’s Director of LGBTQ Engagement, a member of the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, and strategist with the LGBTQ Victory Fund where he helped double the amount of LGBTQ people elected in the U.S. He was also Staffer for Congressman Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania’s 18th District. As a Staffer, Meloy also specifically worked with the LGBTQ Caucus to build relationships with members who are charged with flagging issues pertinent to their states.

There’s a great deal of work to be done, and Meloy sees where the LGBTQ+ contingent needs to focus during this time of relentless attack.

“Every piece of data shows it would be an error to abandon any part of our coalition, so we will continue to spearhead the work to ensure everyone is capable of fighting back against Republican extremism in outlawing our lives and wellbeing,” Meloy tells GO. “We and immigrants won’t be the last on their “list” of enemies – and the sooner people know that fact – we can get engaged to fight back.”