Montana.USA

MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana Congressional Candidate Dave Strohmaier, who is running as a progressive Democrat for Montana’s single seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, has released his first political commercial, a groundbreaking campaign ad that endorses marriage equality.

Dave Strohmaier

Strohmaier, a straight ally who is married and the father of two children, received the ACLU’s Jeannette Rankin Award and the Montana Human Rights Network Walt Brown Award for his work and co-sponsorship of Missoula’s 2010 non-discrimination ordinance, the first, and still only, non-discrimination ordinance in the state of Montana that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

“You might be wondering why a middle-aged, straight guy got behind this initiative. My response today is the same response that I gave sometime after midnight on April 13, 2010:

“I’ve received a fair number of less than charitable phone calls and email messages, some expressing dismay that I have small children and at the same time would support this ordinance. To those individuals I say: it is precisely because I have children that I’m unwavering in my commitment to passing this ordinance. I want to bestow to my kids a Missoula that will value them regardless of who they are or what they look like—regardless of whether they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.”

Watch Strohmaier’s campaign video here:

Strohmaier is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Dennis R. “Denny” Rehberg, a Republican.

Tags: Dave Strohmaier, Marriage Equality, Montana, U.S. Congress, U.S. House of Representatives

Filed under: Montana