Women, we are second rate, second class, less than in the eyes of some in our Party.

[Ms. Toad]

52. You're seriously asking the "What's next . . . be against . . . LGBT rights"

With the response "I don't think they would ever do that."

A tad more than 4 years ago, our president was against LGBT rights, or at least against marriage. A tad more than 8 years ago, he invited one of the most homophobic preachers available to share the podium at his inauguration. I not only voted for Obama, against my personal interests, but was one of the people who spent all of election day from the wee hours of the morning, several hours before the polls open as an observer/troubleshooter/conduit with the Board of Elections - until after midnight - working to ensure his election, despite his affirmative stance against my right to marry.

There are daily homophobic comments and trans-bigoted comments on DU that not only are made, but survive alerts AND administrative overview. In addition, when I speak out about such comments I'm told politely, or not so politely, that they (primarily not LGBT individuals) know better what is homo/trans-phobic than I (an LGBT individual) do, and what they said ONLY insulted Trump/Scaramucci - not the LGBT individuals being used as a battering ram. NEWS FLASH: If you grab the feet of an LGBT individual and swing them like a bat into Trump,et al., not only does it hurt Trump, et al, but it hurts the person being used as a bat.

Do I wish that every Democrat favored abortion rights? Absolutely - as I wished every Democrat favored including transgender individuals in the ENDA (as far as I know, Democrats still don't have a united front in including trangender individuals in an ENDA bill), or - just a few short years ago - same gender marriage.

Did I use my own personal interest as a litmus test, when there was no more LGBT-friendly candidate - no. Will I use my own personal interest in abortion rights as a litmus test now if there is no more abortion rights friendly candidate - no.

We cannot afford to be a single-issue party, whether that is an issue central to my life (as it is many times) - or not.