Why was LPAC created?
- Women’s equality and well-being is under attack in a way this country has not seen in decades;
- As a result, a dramatic window of opportunity exists to counter this onslaught by electing strong pro-women candidates running for office;
- We believe that a strong lesbian PAC will influence the political and social landscape generating results.
What is a pro-lesbian candidate?
LPAC supports candidates who champion a range of issues that impact lesbians and their families, a pro-lesbian candidate is someone who supports:
- Ending discriminatory treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and their families;
- Sexual and reproductive freedom and women’s access to quality healthcare; and,
- Furthering social, racial, and economic justice for all Americans.
Who do you target or endorse?
LPAC is smart and methodical about where and when we target elected officials and campaigns. We are working with a team of skilled strategists to analyze the political landscape in order to identify key state, federal, and ballot campaigns that will define elections and where LPAC will have the most significant impact.
Is this a Democratic or Republican group?
LPAC is bipartisan. LPAC supports candidates that stand for our values, and helps to remove from office those who do not.
What activities does LPAC undertake?
LPAC speaks to voters directly through mail and other forms of media, including, phones, advertising, and e-mail. LPAC raises money to support aggressive independent expenditures in each of our target districts, and in some cases support campaigns directly.
How is LPAC different from other organizations working to elect pro-equality candidates?
LPAC stands apart because it is the first political action committee directly focused on issues that impact lesbians and their families. LPAC is not working, however, outside of the political efforts being moved by women’s and LGBT political organizations. We are in continuous contact with these groups in order to be most strategic and effective with our resources.
Is LPAC going to become a new lesbian advocacy group?
LPAC is a political action committee dedicated to one goal: giving lesbians a real seat at the table in politics.
How will my contribution to LPAC be reported?
All donors to the committee are fully disclosed on campaign finance reports.
How can I get more involved in LPAC?
LPAC welcomes your participation and encourages you to get engaged in helping to shape our political future!
Who is on LPAC’s Advisory Board?
• Sarah Schmidt – Chicago, IL –Chair and treasurer of LPAC and founder and principal of Sarah Schmidt Consulting, LLC. Schmidt is also actively involved in her family’s third generation business, U.S. Venture, Inc., where she serves on the Board of Directors. From January of 2005 until November of 2011 she served as Family President, responsible for the leadership of the shareholder group. Since 2005, Schmidt has also served as the Director of the U.S. Venture Open, a charitable golf outing dedicated to fighting poverty in Northeast Wisconsin.
• Emily Giske – New York, NY – A government affairs specialist for Bolton-St. Johns, LLC. Giske has extensive knowledge in Albany and New York City and has lobbied for corporations, financial institutions, not-for-profit entities, and local municipalities. Giske was one of the lead lobbyists instrumental in helping New York pass the 2011 Marriage Equality Act.
• Laura Ricketts – Chicago, IL – Director and part owner of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball Club as well as Chairman of the Board of Chicago Cubs Charities. Ricketts is the first openly gay woman to own an MLB franchise and is co-chair of the DNC’s LGBT Leadership Council and the National Leadership Counsel for Lambda Legal.
• Alix Ritchie – Fort Lauderdale, FL– Media strategy consultant and former founder, owner, and publisher of the Provincetown Banner, a community newspaper for Cape Cod, and recipient of the New England Press Association Newspaper of the Year Award. Ritchie is also a self-described agitator, political activist, and occasional polemicist.
• Margaret Traub – Brooklyn, NY – President & CEO of Adesso a company that designs, manufactures, and sells contemporary home décor. Traub and her partner, Phyllis Dicker, sponsor an annual scholarship that awards funds to worthy lesbian college and graduate students. They also sponsor a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School for students to research gay issues and public policy.
• Urvashi Vaid – New York, NY – Director of the Engaging Tradition Project at the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School. Vaid is an attorney, writer and longtime leader in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and social justice movements. She is former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and has been a leader for over a decade in several philanthropic organizations.
• Donna Victoria – Washington, DC – A pollster with over 20 years of experience, Victoria is the founder of Victoria Research & Consulting and has worked on a wide variety of non-discrimination, marriage equality, and political messaging projects for the LGBT community.