In Illinois, Democratic candidate and Chicago attorney Reed Showalter, an ally of the queer community, responded to a Christian group’s anti-transgender candidate questionnaire—with glitter, The Advocate noted.
Running for the state’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Showalter recently received a survey from Christian nonprofit the Illinois Family Institute, which has a long anti-LGBTQ+ history. The form asked for his stance on various issues, including LGBTQ+ and abortion rights as well as transgender participation in sports.
Showalter responded by filling the form with glitter.
In an Instagram video, he said, in part, “One of the funny things about running for office is you get inundated with a bunch of questionnaires from organizations asking what your positions are, considering whether they’ll endorse you or whether they will campaign actively against you, including some of the strangest, most goblin-y people on Earth. … If it weren’t already clear, this organization is gleefully transphobic and homophobic, so I think it’s only fair that they get a little sparkle in their life.”
According to Showalter’s campaign website, his platform includes issues such as trans rights, climate change, battling corruption, taxing billionaires, housing, healthcare and veterans’ rights.