John, It's Becca.

When I was growing up, I didn't know what kind of future was possible for someone like me. But I was gay. I knew that much.

What I didn't know was whether I could live openly, build a family, lead, or someday walk into rooms where decisions were being made and know I belonged there too.

I definitely never imagined I would become the first woman and first openly LGBTQ+ person Vermont ever sent to Congress.

That came up recently when I sat down with my friend Congressman George Whitesides for a very unofficial interview involving some extremely spicy chicken wings. 🤯

We laughed a lot, I suffered through some truly disrespectful hot sauce, and we got into some of the more personal parts of my story too. And underneath all the hot sauce and laughing was something I think about a lot.

There are kids growing up right now asking some of the same questions I did.

Can I be myself? Will I be safe? Will there be a place for me? Can I dream as big as everybody else?

And I ALWAYS want their answer to be yes. Not because every LGBTQ+ kid needs to grow up and run for Congress. 

But because every kid deserves to grow up believing their life can be full, joyful, ordinary, ambitious, messy, beautiful, and entirely their own. That very belief is part of why I do this work.

And it is why I refuse to sit quietly while politicians try to turn LGBTQ+ people, especially LGBTQ+ kids, into political targets.

We have fought too hard for too long to go backward now.

So if you believe every kid deserves the freedom to imagine a future for themselves, will you click here and chip in $10 today to help me keep fighting for one? Our fundraising quarter closes tomorrow, and I'd love as many people as possible standing with me before those numbers go public!

COUNT ME IN!

Representation alone does not fix everything. But I know what it would have meant for younger me to see someone like me living openly, serving her community, raising a family, and taking up space without a single damn apology.

Now I get to be that person for somebody else. And I don't take that responsibility lightly.

Tomorrow is the last day of this fundraising quarter, and these will be the last numbers to go public before Election Day. I want them to show exactly how many people are standing behind this fight, this movement, and yes, still recovering from some deeply questionable hot sauce.

And if you can, click here and chip in $5, $10, $25 or whatever makes sense for you today. Your support helps us keep building a movement where more people can look at the future and see a place for themselves in it.

MAKE THE DEADLINE COUNT

Thank you for being part of this with me.

— Becca

P.S. — If you want to watch the whole spicy-wings conversation, it's right here. Fair warning: it's funnier and more chaotic than you'd expect from a sitting member of Congress.

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