For queer DNC delegates Blake Robinson, 21, and Antwon Womack, 36, the personal is political.
Robinson, a delegate from the eighth Congressional District of Georgia and the Deputy State Coordinator for Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project, and Womack, Chair of the Alabama LGBTQ Caucus, are taking up space as queer delegates and immersing themselves in what they believe is an inclusive body politic during the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.
The first-time delegates will be among a historic number of out LGBTQ delegates, along with over 50,000 people, who will converge on Chicago’s United Center from August 19 through August 22. Democrats from across the country will gather to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the next Democratic nominees for President and Vice President.
For Robinson, who earned dual bachelor’s degrees in political science and criminal justice from Georgia Southern University in May, participating in the political process at the DNC manifests a future he envisioned after coming out as bisexual in eighth grade.
“I realized, especially after I came out, that my life and my entire existence was wholly tied to politics,” Robinson tells GLAAD.
A Valdosta, GA native, Robinson says some of his earliest memories of the impact of politics on his family and the lives of his friends and neighbors in rural Georgia came from hearing his father’s disappointment with the state of American politics, which a young Robinson, even then, saw as an opportunity for a call to action.
“Listen, Dad, you can talk about it all you want, but why don’t we do something about it? And that’s where I started getting into the political realm and then realized afterward that I was like, wow, I can actually do something here,” he said.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (left), pictured with queer DNC Georgia Delegate Blake Robinson. (Image: Instagram)
Speaking at a combined Women’s and LGBTQ March his sophomore year at Valdosta’s Lowndes High School was the first (some)thing Robinson says he was called to do before creating the first Gay/Straight Alliance his senior year, and ultimately linking up with Georgia Equality, the political advocacy organization working to advance fairness, safety, and opportunity for LGBTQ people across the state. At the end of the 2024 Georgia legislative session, Georgia Equality and its allies were able to successfully defeat nearly 20 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed by anti-equality state lawmakers. Robinson was on the front lines of the fight.
That was the greatest victory ever,” he said. “It felt great that I was part of that. Even if it was just talking to legislators from my point of view.”
As a DNC delegate, Robinson tells GLAAD the convention is an opportunity for him to “connect with other LGBTQ people interested in working in the policy space and to advocate for common sense policies around LGBTQ rights,” which Womack, as Chair of the disbanded and newly reinstated Alabama LGBTQ Caucus, understands.
A Win Across The Board
A rear-view of the Alabama State Capitol in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. (Image: Facebook)
In 2019, the Democratic National Committee ordered the state party to create diversity caucuses or lose its representation in the presidential nomination process. In 2023, the Alabama Democratic Party approved new bylaws that eliminated youth, LGBTQ+, and disabled caucuses and reduced the powers of others, according to reporting by the Alabama Reflector.
“During that time, the National Democratic Committee saw that Alabama was not complying with the national platform as it pertains to diversity,” Womack said. “Every state had diversity caucuses but Alabama.”
A year after Alabama Democratic leaders eliminated the LGBTQ Caucus, Womack tells GLAAD it is active again, despite opposition from Alabama conservative lawmakers and leaders within his party, who are arguably as conservative as their Republican colleagues.
Womack, a paralegal at Glen Blanchard & Associates, P.C., ran as an out candidate for a seat in the Alabama legislature and three times for a seat on the Birmingham Board of Education, each time unsuccessfully.
“You don’t have the average Black gay male running for any type of public office [in Alabama],” Womack said. “And if they do, they’re not gonna tell anybody [about their sexual orientation].”
A Birmingham native, Womack tells GLAAD he was confident his future would include politics when he voluntarily chose to attend Neighborhood Association Meetings instead of engaging in similar activities of his childhood peers. As an adult, not much has changed except his resolve to make Alabama a place where LGBTQ people are safe and can thrive, which is why he remains.
Antwon Womack is the Chair of the Alabama LGBTQ Caucus. (Image: Facebook)
“Everybody can’t leave. I believe somebody has to stay to tell the story,” Womack said. “But I also believe that in the midst of telling the story, you give somebody else hope who may not have had the courage.”
The historic nature of the 2024 Democratic National Convention is at the forefront of Womack’s mind, who believes Vice President Harris’ ascension to the top of the ticket will provide an opportunity for Alabamians to celebrate an important political milestone: the nomination of the first Black and South Asian woman to lead the Democratic Party, and possibly, the free world.
“I look at this as a win across the board,” Womack said. “Being a part of the LGBTQ community—I believe it closes another chapter in the book for our community as it relates to ensuring that we have [politicians] and allies that represent our different interests.”
Womack tells GLAAD that voter enthusiasm in Alabama’s most populous city is high.
“I’ve been surprised with how many people in Jefferson County are [determined] to vote because they hear so much about Project 2025, and they understand the impact of what a second Trump term will look like,” he said.
Robinson and Womack agree that their candidate has a “forward-thinking vision for America.”
“I think this ticket is not only gonna fight for every American but also is going to fight for those marginalized communities like the queer community and Black folk,” Robinson said. “Not only is this historic because she will be the first woman elected to the White House, but it’ll also be historic because from here on out, the game completely changes,” he added. “If we have a woman in the White House, there is absolutely no limit to what can come next in America.”
An exterior image of the United Center on August 19, 2024—the first night of the Democratic National Convention. (Image: Darian Aaron)
And on Thursday night, when Vice President Harris steps on stage to receive the official Democratic nomination for President, Robinson, and Womack will be a part of history in the making with the understanding that there are more glass ceilings to be broken.
Learn more about how to use your voice and your vote to make a difference for LGBTQ people at GLAAD.org/VOTE.
