Stonewall Democrats Select Linda Gray Murphy

From www.Demookie.com ~ Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats (www.okstonewall.org) announced today that activist and political consultant Linda Gray Murphy of Oklahoma City has been named to the Board of Directors for National Stonewall Democrats (NSD)(www.stonewalldemocrats.org).

She will begin a two-year term in March as a delegate from Region 6, representing Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Her election continues the strong presence that Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats (OSD) has had on the national board for the last three years, beginning with the late activist and lobbyist Keith Smith. Murphy and Smith, both Yellow Dog Democrats, were close allies in advocating for the betterment of Oklahoma's citizens through work in many progressive issues such as equality for gay people, women's health care, and the environment.

Murphy is well known throughout Oklahoma and Texas for her work with political campaigns and progressive causes, with her latest victory being the election of Al McAffrey to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She serves as executive director and spokesperson for Working Families Project (www.workingfamiliesproject.com), a statewide organization to increase the minimum wage and improve the lives of all Oklahomans.

Membership growth in Stonewall Democrats, the only gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organization recognized by the National Democratic Party, has prompted recent expansion of Region 6 representation on the NSD board from three to five delegates. Murphy will join Olga Hernandez of San Antonio as female delegates. Four candidates will vie for the three remaining positions. They include incumbent national board members Jesse Garcia and Buck Massey, both of Texas, and two Oklahoma City men, Steve VanHook and Colin Raley. VanHook has served OSD as interim co-chair since early December. The lowest vote-getter in February’s regional elections is expected to be named an alternate delegate, attending when a regular delegate cannot. Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats, with nearly 200 current members, is constitutionally recognized as an active club of the Oklahoma Democratic Party (www.okdemocrats.org) with a voting seat on the state party’s governing Central Committee.

The Stonewall organization is dedicated to achieving full equality for America's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens, and its members work in campaigns and raise money for both openly gay and gay-friendly Democratic candidates at all levels of government.

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