EDITOR’S NOTE: Hardy Haberman, a regular columnist for Dallas Voice for several years, is now also the media director for gubernatorial candidate Jeffrey Payne.
Listening to a conversation between some minor party officials at a recent Democratic Party event, I heard someone ask, “How dare he run for governor?” I knew they were speaking about a man I count as my friend, a man of unquestioned integrity.
I always thought integrity was a pretty good attribute to have as a political candidate, or at least as far as any candidate I’d ever vote for. Integrity means that candidate doesn’t mince his words, and it means he doesn’t try to bury his history under a veil of public relations. It means he puts himself out there, exactly as he is, and lets people know exactly what they are getting.
How dare he?
The man they were speaking of is a businessperson who owns five companies and understands the ins and outs of making a business run in Texas. One of his businesses is a well-known gay bar in Dallas, catering to the leather community. It is a very welcoming place for anyone and consistently gets good reviews as a great place to enjoy a quiet drink with friends or a place to dance the night away.
The man they were speaking of was also the winner of a well-known international contest/pageant known as International Mr. Leather. As a titleholder, my friend traveled the world visiting with LGBTQ communities and helping to raise funds for charities in places like Dubai, Germany, England and South Africa. It gave him a new perspective on the world and a better understanding of the challenges minorities like LGBTQ people face in other countries.
How dare he?
The man they were speaking of is married to another man, a kind and smart individual who immigrated to the United States from South America.
How dare he?
The man they were talking about was orphaned at 3 years old and raised in an orphanage and later in foster homes. He learned how difficult life could be and how important creating a family was when the one you were born into disappears.
How dare he?
The man they spoke of lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. He lost everything and started his life over in Dallas, with only a car and the clothes on his back. He managed to overcome that adversity and turn his fate around, and he credits the kindness and spirit of Texas with his success. His reasons for running for governor have a lot to do with that and the idea that he can give back to Texas in a significant way.
How dare he?
He is a man who believes that politics as usual in our state is not working, and it’s time to try something different. That means a new approach to campaigning and it means taking his message directly to the people of Texas. He doesn’t play political games, and he doesn’t pander to any corporation or special interest.
How dare he?
He is a man who watched Texas politics from the sidelines and saw a legislature that created laws for problems that didn’t exist, like the ridiculous “bathroom bill.” It was a classic exercise in political theater designed to scare Texans and use that fear to garner votes. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back for him. He had to get involved and in a big way.
How dare he?
The man they spoke of scared them. He is outside the political box, and they could not wrap their heads around the fact that he was not only well qualified to be governor, but exactly the kind of difference that Texas needs: a man who is not afraid of dealing with the Texas Legislature; a man who does not shy away from the real problems facing
Texans, like education, health care, clean water, clear air and a sustainable economy that recognizes that small business are equally important as big business.
The man they spoke of is my friend Jeffrey Payne, and he is all those things and a whole lot more. He dares to run for governor of Texas because he sincerely believes he can help all Texans, and so far, the Texans he has spoken to are far more interested in his policy than his history.
They are not fazed by an openly-gay man running for governor. They are not offended that he owns a leather bar and was IML.
They want to know how he will fix the broken Texas education system and how he can help reduce maternal mortality in our state. How does he envision giving the hard-working undocumented people who contribute to Texas economy a fair deal? How will he help Texas move forward and prosper?
These voters are not asking the questions that the party elite are asking. They are not asking, “How dare he?”
They are asking Jeffrey Payne, “How can we help?”
Hardy Haberman is a longtime local LGBT activist and a board member of the Woodhull Freedom Alliance. His blog is at DungeonDiary.blogspot.com.
Very precise and to the point. Thank you for writing this.
It is interesting that you keep bringing up Mr. Payne’s integrity. As a gay man in Texas whom has frequented the Eagle in the past I feel I have had some level of interaction. Mr. Payne is generally shows good people skills. However in doing some fact checking on all of the Democratic candidates whom would like my vote, I find that there are some glaring inaccuracies in the published information in various new stories regarding Mr. Payne and his qualifications.
Personally I find him a very nice man who works hard for the Gay community and his chosen causes. However in running for public office I feel he must be held to a higher standard. For example. My. Payne speaks a lot about diversity and inclusiveness. His campaign team is older caucasian gay leather men. This has the effect of creating no dissenting voices or ideas and no challenge to what the alt-right has termed the gay agenda.
In his International Leather speech he discusses that he is HIV+, yes I have heard nothing in his platform about advancing the research or reducing the stigma for the HIV suffering population of Texas.
These are just two of the things a cursory google search turned up. So why the appearance of inconsistency?
Randy