​Post submitted by former Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Chris Sgro

HRC joined pro-equality and HRC-endorsed congressional candidate Betsy Rader to kick off a canvassing event in Ohio’s 14th Congressional District. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin campaigned alongside Rader and HRC members and supporters in this critically important congressional race. The district is a key pick-up opportunity to win a pro-equality majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“For too long, Ohio’s 14th Congressional District has been represented by someone who has stood in the way of progress,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “That changes this November. HRC is helping to turn out the thousands of Equality Voters across the district to send Betsy Rader to Congress and pull the emergency brake on the Trump-Pence agenda.”

"I'm so excited to have Human Rights Campaign supporting me in the race and to have Chad Griffin joining me to rally our volunteers," said Betsy Rader. "As the mom of two sons who are gay, LGBTQ rights are particularly important for me. My opponent has voted to codify discrimination and we cannot stand for it--those aren't Ohio's values. When I get to Congress, I look forward to fighting to pass important legislation like the Equality Act, so that all Ohioans are treated equally under the law."

Watch Here: Video of HRC President Chad Griffin, Candidate Betsy Rader, at canvass kickoff to mobilize and turn out Equality Voters in Ohio, this November.

A lifelong Ohioan, Rader currently works as a civil rights lawyer fighting for workers who have been discriminated against in the workplace. She previously served as Senior Counsel at the Cleveland Clinic and worked at Medicare and Medicaid helping to implement the Affordable Care Act -- she will use that experience to fight for expanding access and lowering the cost of quality health care and prescription drugs in Congress. Rader is a strong advocate for LGBTQ equality who supports marriage equality and the Equality Act, crucial federal legislation that would finally guarantee comprehensive protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's civil rights laws.

In November, Rader will face incumbent Congressman David Joyce. Joyce received a 16 out of 100 on HRC’s most recent Congressional Scorecard, which measures members of Congress’s support for LGBTQ equality and policies. He has consistently worked to undermine equality, co-sponsoring the so-called First Amendment Defense Act and opposing an amendment supporting a ban on employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity by federal contractors. Earlier this year, Joyce voted for a discriminatory amendment that would grant a license to discriminate in the provision of child welfare services.

In Ohio, HRC has identified more than 1.8 million “Equality Voters” -- voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Ohio in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground in the state. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.