Below is a longer, more personal message.
Before reading, I hope you consider making a donation to my campaign before our end-of-month deadline

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Folks,

Growing up, I was obsessed with Spider-Man and wanted to be the first woman to play quarterback in the NFL. At 46, I love watching my kids obsess about Spider-Man and my fantasy football team is middle of the pack after a rough start to the season. Who we are and what we learn as kids shapes a lot about our lives.

My mom, Martha, raised me as a single working parent. It wasn’t easy for her to juggle the responsibilities of working her job as a nurse and making sure I got to soccer practice and was taken care of, but she made it happen.

Sometimes we shared housing with other families to keep rent more affordable, and my mom taught me very early that people’s lives look different in many ways and there’s always a story about why. She also taught me a lot about love, hope, and empathy and when we went to church, I heard these same lessons. They stuck.

When I came out at 18, it marked a new chapter of my life -- parts of it were filled with joy, parts were tough. For years, I wrestled with questions about whether to pursue a call to ministry and whether I could create the life I dreamed of here in North Carolina. I heard a lot of messages that as a LGBTQ person, these things were impossible and I should therefore give up on these dreams.

That never felt right at a gut level. It was at odds with both the teachings of my faith and what I believe about our country: that all are welcome at the table, that the doors of a church should be open, and that our communities and country are at their strongest when everyone is included.

I'm running for Congress to lead and unite our community with love, hope, and empathy -- but I can't do it alone. Will you chip in $25 to help us win? 

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Sometimes the biggest questions in life are answered when things get real. Meeting and falling in love with my wife Meghann brought so much into focus and, with her support, I got ordained and we launched the Campaign for Southern Equality to fight for marriage equality -- and full LGBTQ equality -- across the South.

Together, we barnstormed NC and the South -- organizing in living rooms, church basements, and library meeting rooms. One conversation at a time, one town at a time, one action at a time. Our work was grounded in the values of love, hope, and empathy and trust me, there is no fuel more powerful than this.

It took a lot of grit and effort, but we helped win marriage equality across the South, and we continue to work every day to help create a South where LGBTQ people are equal in every part of life.

This is my story and it echoes the story of so many others in Western NC who have been told that they don’t belong, or they shouldn’t pursue their dreams because of who they are, or that there’s just not room at the table for their voice. This is the kind of brokenness we need to move beyond.

I’m running for Congress to help us build a WNC where every person has an equal shot to thrive. And I’m out there talking about love, hope, and empathy every day of the campaign. I’ve heard people say that that isn’t a winning message to defeat a radical Republican like Madison Cawthorn.

But I disagree. Living into these values is exactly how we’ll help our country heal from the pain and divisions of this time.

And it’s how we’ll win. Because organizing that is based on these values taps into not just the best in us as individuals, it binds us around our common purpose and the reality of our shared destiny. In contrast, organizing based on division and toxicity is corrosive not just to the spirit, but it actually splinters people, dissipates our strength, and leads to losing campaigns.

I’ve seen this up close over and over again, from our work for marriage equality to my two campaigns for County Commission. I’ve seen it in the fights for racial justice, voting rights, health care, and workers' rights. We are at our strongest when organize from our values and our strength.

This is a big part of how we’ll beat Madison Cawthorn, and how we’ll move forward together across WNC. Another big part is running the strongest grassroots campaign ever in WNC and organizing everywhere.

That takes resources and it means hitting our goals each and every week. We have $17,456 left to raise in order to make our end-of-month goal. Will you chip in $25 or more today to support our campaign and represent WNC with love and compassion?

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Together, we will pave a new path forward.

-- Jasmine

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Paid for by Jasmine Beach-Ferrara for Congress

Jasmine Beach-Ferrara for Congress
PO Box 7553
Asheville, NC 28802
United States

Email: [email protected]
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