A seat at the table

Adapted from an oral-history interview with Terry Bean by Matt Steele. Prepared for Terry’s review and expansion.

“if you aren’t at the table, you’re on the menu”
— Terry Bean, oral history

Terry recalls learning about EMILY’s List through Ellen Malcolm and Governor Barbara Roberts’ campaigns. In that model, members committed to supporting selected candidates, bringing fundraising into a repeatable form.

He remembers asking whether a similar approach could help LGBTQ candidates. The ensuing conversations and organizing became part of the story behind Victory Fund.

For Terry, representation had a practical force. He describes how serving alongside an openly gay colleague on a school board or committee could change the experience of debating that person’s rights. The memory is about the difference between having allies and having a voice in the room.

Source: TB Oral History 1.2 · Victory Fund, Gay Games, etc. Editorial summary; quotations are from the interview. Photo illustrates the topic rather than documenting every event described.