Senate Democrats and Biden need to stand up to homophobic attacks on FCC nominee Gigi Sohn

Gigi Sohn is gay. She’s also a highly qualified nominee for the Federal Communications Commission with decades of experience as a public interest advocate working on issues of affordable broadband access, net neutrality, and closing the digital divide. More than 375 organizations, companies, elected officials, and local governments have voiced their support for Gigi Sohn’s [Senior Fellow and Public Advocate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society] confirmation as an FCC Commissioner. But while deeply controversial nominees with massive conflicts of interest like Ajit Pai and Nathan Simington sailed through Senate approval, Sohn’s nomination has languished for more than two years. She’s been the target of a coordinated, dark money smear campaign. Now right-wing news outlets, emboldened by the Internet Service Provider-funded smears, have crossed the line: They’ve launched a new round of blatantly homophobic attacks on Gigi that recycle QAnon and extreme right tropes conflating LGBTQ identity with deviance and predation. The far right are telling us exactly who they are. If this homophobic smear campaign succeeds, it will become the go-to strategy for sinking the confirmation of any future LGBTQ nominee.  If they don’t speak out immediately and make it clear that they will stand strong against these attacks and confirm Gigi Sohn as quickly as possible, Democratic leaders are telling us who they are, too. If they remain silent, they are actively aiding and abetting weaponized homophobia, while helping the greedy internet service provider monopolies, like Comcast and AT&T, avoid oversight. Our community won’t forget that when Democrats tell us they will protect our rights. Or when they ask for our votes in the future.

[Evan Greer is a transgender activist, writer, and musician based in Boston. Yvette Scorse is a queer advocate for digital equity and communications director at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.]