For any change to happen in the States, voting matters, though not everyone feels that way, as one newly minted volunteer deputy registrar in Texas discovered. Reddit user Inevitable_Dog2719 shared a screenshot from Grindr of his chat with a gay co-worker, where he asked whether they’re registered to vote. The answer OP got was certainly less than what he’d hoped for: “Nah, we good.”
This refusal hit Inevitable Dog deep, not because just someone didn’t want to register to vote. It was because someone from his community didn’t care for it. In his post, OP mentioned how, in his state, he can’t access reproductive healthcare or access to porn, along with an ongoing fight against drag show bans.
“Our very own community is fighting off a data center unsuccessfully as I type this,” he sighed. And amid all that’s going on, someone who Inevitable Dog felt would be looking to make a difference shrugged him off. “I wish they knew that we can regress if we don’t show up to protect the rights of marginalized communities,” he wrote in earnest. Needless to say, plenty of other Redditors were just as upset.
Reddit Backed the VDR’s Message: People Need the Vote
“Dude I think it’s so ridiculous that people don’t vote,” remarked one user. “People who don’t vote, just help people like Trump win,” pointed out another. “People not voting is why Texas keeps taking everything away from them,” added a third.
Many people praised and thanked Inevitable Dog, saying that he shouldn’t give up just because one person rejected his offer to help them vote. Fortunately for him, he seems to be quite determined, saying that he’s trying to get a voter registration drive going at his workplace. “I’m also signed up for some volunteer events in the community and setting up a voter registration table. Wish me luck!” he exclaimed.
With the November 3rd election coming up and voting beginning in mid-October, people in Texas have until October 5th to register. Inevitable Dog might have failed to get a fellow gay person to vote, but he and plenty of others are hopeful that others are hungrier for a change in their state.
