The Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Introduces the
DGLA Community Council!
Since 1976, the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance has adapted as times change and new or different needs arise affecting the LGBT community in Dallas. In 2009, we are changing again - reaching out to the LGBT community and our allies across the City of Dallas and Dallas County with a new long-term vision toward our common goal of equality in every aspect of life.
During the past 33 years, the LGBT community in Dallas has clearly moved (literally) from a fairly concentrated population living and working in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas to a widely dispersed population living and working in all parts of the City of Dallas and Dallas County. Today, the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates that there are 86,000 LGBT people living in the City of Dallas and 120,000 LGBT people living in Dallas County. We know too that all of these members of our community do not frequent the Oak Lawn entertainment district and many do not read the Dallas Voice each week. The creation of the DGLA Community Council is a direct response to this reality.
The DGLA Community Council is a standing committee of both the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance non-profit advocacy organization and the DGLA Don Baker Education Fund non-profit education organization. It consists of a chair and 18 members -- one member for each Dallas City Council District and one member for each Dallas County Commissioner District. Within each member's district, each member of the DGLA Community Council will be empowered with a budget and organizational infrastructure to:
- Build community
- Identify supporters of LGBT equality
- Organize social events
- Sponsor town hall meetings
- Attend neighborhood association group meetings
- Identify and execute community service projects
- Sponsor workshops
- Provide visibility at district events
- Serve as a liaison between the district's LGBT/ally residents and the district's elected officials
- Participate in a rotating presence at Dallas City Council and Dallas County Commissioner meetings
- Work with precinct chairs
- Organize training of election judges, election clerks, & poll watchers
- Cultivate leaders
By identifying our community within each and every district, Community Council members will be able over time to build meaningful community and meaningful political empowerment within each and every district.
Let's cut to the chase: Many City Council districts are won by only several thousand votes (total for all candidates); County Commissioner districts are won by not much more. In the long-term vision, by identifying supporters of LGBT equality in each district in an ongoing way, we have an opportunity to arrive at meaningful political empowering for LGBT equality issues.
Example: I live in Dallas City Council District 9, and (because I am a precinct chair) I know that there are at least 30 LGBT households just in my precinct alone, and probably more. (There are ~800 voting precincts in Dallas County.) Indeed, when you consider supporters of LGBT equality in the mix, the number skyrockets. My district encompasses about 30 voting precincts. Let's assume my experience is similarly true for all of the precincts in District 9 --> 30 x 30 = 900 LGBT voters (+ unknown number of supporters of
LGBT equality). These voters represent more than 10% of the ~8700 votes cast in the 2009 District 9 race. Clearly, one identified constituency could make or break any candidate running in District 9 -- and that constituency consists of supporters of LGBT equality.
Beyond electoral politics, the DGLA Community Council has a real opportunity to win hearts and minds within each district by engaging in issues important to the district, having real visibility from a real community of neighbors and friends, and cultivating activists with a passion for local government not only within the LGBT community but also for city of Dallas boards and commissions and beyond.
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