The Human Rights Campaign announced the endorsement of Kate Schroder in her bid for Congress in Ohio’s First Congressional District. 

In 2019, the U.S. House made history by passing the Equality Act -- crucial federal legislation that would finally guarantee explicit protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's existing civil rights laws -- for the first time. However, despite the support for the bill from over 70% of Americans, incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot voted “no” and Sen. Mitch McConnell has refused to bring the bill up for a vote. We must protect and expand the House’s pro-equality majority to ensure that when we break the Senate’s logjam, we have a House ready and able to move forward and make the Equality Act the law of the land. 

“Kate Schroder will not just be an ally to our community but a true advocate,” said Alphonso David, HRC President. “In 28 states across the country, including Ohio, LGBTQ people are at risk for discrimination in many areas of life. This patchwork of protections is completely untenable. Kate not only understands that, but has committed to making the change we need by passing the Equality Act. The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse Kate and will work in the coming months to help mobilize the two million Equality Voters across the state of Ohio to elect her and other pro-equality leaders up and down the ballot.”

“I am so pleased to be endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign,” said Congressional Candidate Kate Schroder. “I believe everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to live openly and receive access to mental health resources, safe housing, and job opportunities. Once elected into office, I am committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community by pushing for the passage of the Equality Act.”

In the 2018 midterms, HRC helped register more than 32,000 voters and recruited more than 4,200 volunteers, who worked over 8,500 shifts and clocked more than 30,000 volunteer hours. In the critical final four days of the campaign, HRC staff and volunteers in get-out-the-vote efforts alone knocked on more than 80,000 doors, and held 36,400 conversations with voters at their doors and by phone on behalf of our endorsed candidates. HRC's unprecedented grassroots mobilization worked to recruit volunteers, mobilize constituents, register voters and grow the organization's grassroots army in an all-out effort to pull the emergency brake on the hateful anti-LGBTQ agenda of the Trump-Pence administration and elect a Congress that would hold them accountable. In 2020, our engagement and mobilization efforts will only deepen. HRC will have at least 45 full-time staff in seven priority states (AZ, MI, NV, OH, PA, TX, and WI) and an additional 20 staff focused on a second tier of states and districts.