This November, we have an urgent duty to elect Democrat Sara Gideon as our new U.S. senator. Sara is a proven leader who will advocate for the inclusion, protection and equality of all Mainers, regardless of orientation and gender identity.

As an LGBTQ Mainer, I’ve watched with disgust as Sen. Susan Collins tacitly supports President Trump’s fear-mongering agenda of exclusion and marginalization of communities based on race, gender, orientation and gender identity.

We need new leadership to proactively realize full equality for all Americans. While in the Maine Legislature, Sara has guided bills to ban the harmful, debunked practice of conversion therapy and the use of the “gay and trans panic” defense, used to excuse violent hate crimes against the LGBTQ community. She also wrote and passed landmark legislation putting health care protections for transgender individuals into Maine state law.

Collins has supported President Trump’s harmful agenda two out of every three votes (according to FiveThirtyEight) and has expressed little more than “concern” over his rollback of nondiscrimination policies protecting LGBTQ Americans in the workplace and our military.

Even the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT advocacy group in the country and repeated past endorser of Collins, has said “enough is enough” and it is time to move on from Collins. In Sara Gideon they see a politician who has consistently and actively promoted inclusion and equality.

Sara will bring a thoughtful, decisive voice to Washington on behalf of all Mainers. Join me in supporting Sara Gideon as our new senator!

Timothy Diehl
Portland

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