Issue Position: Equality and Women

Issue Position

*We can't escape race and gender, so let's talk about it up front. I am a dark Latina woman, a proud immigrant and a proud American. My Dominicans ancestors came as slaves from West Africa and Central Africa between the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

*I recognize my debt to America's civil rights leaders and protesters who won for me the right to an equal place in our society today. Thanks to them we've made progress, but there is still more to do and more inequality to fight. That's why I was proud to sponsor Maryland's marriage equality law and also fought hard for years for legislation to prevent discrimination against transgender Marylanders. I also proudly co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Civil Rights Restoration Act to enforce fair wages regardless of gender.

*Women often find themselves working twice as hard, yet they are often overlooked when it comes to recognition, pay and support. We need to use these experiences to grow stronger and more persistent. People say that I'm tenacious -- that I don't quit. I have to be. There is too much important work to be done to let barriers get in our way. I will fight hard for equality and women's issues in Congress. Your daughters and mine deserve a more equal America.

*I will not be a leader who smokes cigars or plays golf with the political bosses. We need to get rid of the "old boys" clubs that hand out favors, anoint leaders, and make decisions affecting our community behind closed doors. We need public-spirited women and men working in the interest of the community.

Source