PTP Profile: Shawn

Meet Shawn, who is hard at work building PTP’s  progressive coalition in the Midwest Region!

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Q: Tell me a little bit about yourself and where you’re from?

I’m an Ohio native. I grew up in Adams County, Ohio which is on the southernmost part of Ohio. It’s a really rural area that is connected to the Appalachian culture.

Q: When did you first become interested in politics?

I came out at a young age, so I had a pretty early introduction into politics. The place in southern rural Ohio, where I found folks to be welcoming, was actually my local Democratic Party. So I started off as a volunteer leader in the Kerry Election and got involved in that. Then a few years later, I jumped into the Strickland for Governor race and that’s kind of when I really got involved in politics.

Q: What specifically about PTP appealed to you?

The field focus. I’ve been working in the field, in some capacity, since I was 14. It’s been a long time. The research shows how effective and useful it is to have these one-on-one conversations with people at the door and how important it is to have a strong field focus. And I think our campaigns are constantly undervaluing that. So working for an organization that really gets that and actually wants to put their money where their mouth is in terms of what’s effective and “taking” the case of how effective these field programs can be really resonated with me.

Q: What was the most memorable experience you had while working in politics?

I would definitely say working on the marriage equality campaign here in Ohio and running a statewide non-discrimination campaign. There are two instances that stand out specifically. The first was actually being in the courthouse, the day the first ruling from the district court judge in Cincinnati ruled Obergefell v. Hodges case in our favor. To this day it blows my mind that I got be there for that. And then the second part to that would be, the day after the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Obergefell. It was a really busy day because we had all of these celebration victories that we had to pop-up overnight. After it was all kind of said and done, just the amount of thanks and people contacting me and really getting to kind of savor that moment with other queer folks was really important.

Q: Who inspires you in politics and why? Who do you see a potential future leader of the Democrats?

One of my mentors (not that I knew him personally), that comes to mind is Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk is certainly an incredible figure in the LGBTQ community. The sheer audacity and rigor he took to organize his community and fight for what’s he believed in really stands out to me. I think another person I respect, although we actually have a lot of differences for ideological reasons, is Barack Obama. His constant level headedness despite all of the the pettiness that was going on around him. Just really impressive and something I kind of wish other leaders had. As for a potential future leader of the Democratic Party, I would say Kamala Harris.

Q: If you could have dinner with one former President, who would it be and why?

I think Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the simple reason for me is, I’m a huge history buff and World War 2 is one of my favorite eras of American history. I think just being able to pick FDR’s brain on how he was able to deal with the war effort while at the same time making one of the largest social improvements that the country has ever seen. He inherited a political time that is fascinating to me and he was just one of those leaders that rose to the occasion.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? Any recommendations for visiting Ohio?

I’m usually a homebody but when I do get a chance, I love going to Metro Parks or National Forest. Otherwise I spend most of my time reading trashy science fiction and computer science books. If you’re visiting Ohio, I would recommend visiting Hocking Hills State Park. It’s this park in southeastern Ohio that is just unworldly. You would not believe that you are in Ohio. It has amazing rock and cave formations and waterfalls. It feels like you’re going to middle earth.
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