WCDP demands that Rep. Harshbarger withdraw H.R. 4196 and stop her attacks on queer people (Johnson City, Tenn.) – The Washington County Democratic Party (WCDP) condemns yet another attempt by the Republican Party to shove LGBTQ+ people back into the closet, deny them visibility and humanity, and create a threatening climate for queer people in ... Read more
Washington County Democratic Party Denounces ‘Slate of Hate’ Legislation April 1, 2023, marked a dark day for Tennesseans as the law that curbs the rights to free speech and personal expression for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community was to be effective. This law is now under a temporary judicial hold until ... Read more
The slate of hate, a series of anti-LGBTQ+ bills pushed by Tennessee Republicans at the state level, continues to threaten our communities. [Passed – Effective 7/1/2023] – TN Senate/House Bill 0001 would criminalize medical and healthcare procedures for trans youth (click here to view the bill) [Passed – Effective 4/1/2023] – TN Senate Bill 0003/House ... Read more
The Washington County Democratic Party (WCDP) expresses its dismay at Tennessee Republicans’ obsession with canceling freedoms for the transgender community after having canceled women’s rights and reproductive freedoms in the previous legislative session. As reported by the press, this proposed anti-trans bill would deny medical freedoms in selecting care options, particularly for transgender youth in ... Read more
Today, the Washington County Democratic Party (WCDP) announces the launch of a year-long series of non-partisan, educational, public forums open to all, regardless of political affiliation. The purpose of these events is to inform our communities about successes and challenges for our region across a variety of topics: diversity, education, the environment, workers’ rights, economic ... Read more
Today, as part of Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR), we commemorate and honor our transgender and non-binary siblings, close and far, lost to violence in our communities. Started in 1999 as a vigil to celebrate Rita Hester, a trans woman killed a year earlier, TDOR is also an annual reminder that anti-trans and anti-queer hate ... Read more
There are two issues I hear frequently from Republican voters in Tennessee as to why they vote for Republican candidates: guns and abortion. You see, I’m intimately familiar with the narrative: “Democrats only want to take away my guns and kill babies.” Propaganda works. First of all, plenty of Democrats own guns. They enjoy hunting, ... Read more
People come into our lives for a variety of reasons and seasons. In January of 2016 I returned home to Johnson City and over the next year I learned just how much Ralph Davis, President of the Washington County-Johnson City NAACP branch, had given to this community. The loss of his light will be deeply ... Read more
This morning, WCYB Reporter, John Engel, interviewed Tennessee’s First Congressional District Representative, Phil Roe, where Congressman Roe stated that “many” of the students taking English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in the Johnson City School System are here illegally. John Engel asked: “Congressman, if they’re hiring English learning language teachers, that doesn’t necessarily mean ... Read more
Adam Dickson is a local leader who challenges all of us to be our best selves while bettering the community in which we live. Adam serves as an Adjunct Instructor at East Tennessee State University where he is responsible for the development and instruction of the course, Black American Political Thought. Adam now serves as ... Read more
