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Nevada’s Statewide LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Advocacy Nonprofit Encourages LGBTQ+ Persons to Run for Office, Engage with Political System to Enact Positive Change
As part of Silver State Equality’s commitment to building the bench of LGBTQ+ champions and elected leaders at all levels of government, Silver State Equality, Nevada’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy nonprofit, will host its second annual Nevada LGBTQ+ Leadership Academy at The LGBTQ+ Center of Las Vegas, 401 S. Maryland Parkway.
The two-day intensive working session, slated for October 25-26, is patterned after Equality California’s successful Leadership Academy that is now in its 9th year and has trained more than 230 individuals. Silver State Equality conducted its first LGBTQ+ Leadership Academy last year with 11 participants.
The session includes candidate and campaign trainings to equip LGBTQ+ individuals with a deeper understanding of the state’s political system, build the skills needed to seek elected office, run successful campaigns, and learn about other appointed opportunities with agency boards and commissions.
The deadline to submit an application is October 1. Learn more and apply online at https://silverstateequality.org/leadership-academy/.
Throughout the two-day immersive program, Nevada’s future leaders will learn from the who’s who in Nevada politics and campaigning. Participants will be trained on the essentials of running for office: deciding whether and when to run; the “nuts and bolts” of running an effective political campaign, and fundraising. The training will also address the unique obstacles faced by LGBTQ+ candidates.
Among some of the specific areas to be covered include:
- Organizing: building and maintaining a grass roots campaign
- Fundraising: how to effectively engage potential donors
- Communicating: how to effectively craft compelling narratives and effectively share mobilization messaging with voters
- Navigating the endorsement processes of political organizations, including strategy development to secure crucial campaign backing
- How to gain insights into engaging with the media: building relationships with editorial boards and securing positive press coverage and earned media
“Now more than ever, we need LGBTQ+ persons, allies and champions to serve in statewide offices and key legislative bodies, including the State Senate and State House, as well as county and city level seats,” said André C. Wade, State Director for Silver State Equality. “While Nevada still remains one of the best places to live for LGBTQ+ persons, protections are being eroded and rolled back in the current political climate. It’s imperative we work within the system to enact change and protect rights that deliver fair lived equality for all.”
This program is made possible with generous support from the NV Energy Foundation.
As Nevada’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, Silver State Equality brings the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in Nevada and throughout the U.S. Silver State Equality strives to create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. Silver State Equality is a Nevada-based program affiliated with and supported by Equality California and Equality California Institute, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. Information at SilverStateEquality.org.
