Ensuring a Seat at the Table

State Rep. Dominique Johnson is Proud to Serve LGBTQ+ Communities

By CHRISTOPHER BYRNE

The LGBTQ+ Caucus at the Capitol in Hartford has been described as “small but mighty” by many, as the work to have the voices of our diverse communities heard at the state level—and to ensure representation.

Dominique Johnson, Representative for Norwalk and Westport, is co-chair of the LGBTQ+ caucus with Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan (Bethel, Danbury). Other members include Representative Marcus Brown (Bridgeport) and MJ Shannon (Milford, Orange, West Haven).

The LGBTQ+ Caucus was formed in 2019. Allie-Brennan, says that he was one of only two LGBTQ+ members of the general assembly, along with then Representative Jeff Currey. As Allie-Brennan says, “We were the cacucus—just Jeff and me making sure we needed to get work done in the community. Now, there are five of us, and we’re a stronger, more diverse voice representing the community.

He adds that while Connecticut has strong anti-discrimination laws for employment, housing and education, part of the role of the caucus is to keep an eye on bills that might be making their way through the legislative process. One of the major successes Allie-Brennan points to is the LGBTQ+ Justice and Opportunity Network, which was the first bill Brennan brought to the floor. It was designed to fill any statewide gaps and ensure “we’re catching everyone.” (See the Last Word on page 64 for a full description of this important initiative.)

Members of the caucus wear many hats in Hartford and their communities. Johnson also serves as Deputy Majority Caucus Chair and Assistant Majority Leader. Additionally, they are in the Education, Higher Education & Employment Advancement and Judiciary Committees. She’s busy.

Johnson is motivated by a passion for service, and she says that one of the most important things the LGBTQ+ Caucus can do is provide a seat at the table and serve as an example of people in the state—and especially younger people—that their concerns are heard, acknowledged and addressed seriously. The question, she says is “will somebody at the table be able to speak for you in a way that really, truly represents the community, especially one as diverse as ours?”

Johnson is clear-eyed about the need for expanding that representation. “We’re a very under- represented community when you look at the number of LGBTQ+ people elected to office But we are lucky that we do have a group of people who take very seriously the fact that kids around the state can see themselves in us and that we’re here to do this work so that their generation, hopefully, has their lives at least a bit better, if not much better, than we did coming up.

“I think one of the things that unites us is that we are proud of who we are, and certainly we are multidimensional people. We’re at the table, and we’re ready to pull the chair out to ensure other people can come behind us, especially, LGBTQ+ people who are thinking about running for office. Your time is now.”

Standing on Shoulders

Johnson is keenly aware that they and other members of the LGBTQ+ Caucus are indebted to work of those who have gone before who have helped make the current state possible. In particular, she cites the groundbreaking coming out of Joseph Grabarz in 1990. Grabarz represented parts of Bridgeport in the Connecticut House from 1989-1993, and he famously came out at a press conference when a Republican member questioned the need for a gay rights bill since he had never met a gay person. In coming out so publicly, Grabarz became instrumental in passing a landmark anti-discrimination bill in Connecticut in 1991.

Johnson also cites the leading work of Beth Bye and Jeff Currey for their work while in the House of Representatives. Bye is currently the state’s commissioner of Early Childhood Education and Currey is chief of staff to House Majority Leader Representative Jason Rojas.

In a large sense, though, Johnson “draws strength” from the history of the LGBTQ+ movement in the state and nationwide. “…from the people I know who were involved in Stonewall, who were involved in the very early parts of our movement, who laid that groundwork, who loved me by changing the world for me so I could [come out] before I could love myself, or even knowing what a gay person was…and be proud of that.

I have a lot of pride in being a part of this community. It’s feeling the freedom to be who you are and understanding when they say, ‘love is love.’ It’s because I think we do that really well as a community. We, look out for each other, and we do a lot of things out of love and love for a future that we can’t yet conceive but we want our next generation to experience. I know it’s possible because I’m living it.  We stand on other people’s shoulders, and we want other people to stand on ours because that’s how we understand intergenerational change happens for the better.

Allie-Brennan would agree saying that what they want to deliver to young people especially is a message of hope, resilience and empowerment. “Progress may be slow,” he says, “but your identity, voice, and future matter.” He notes that there may be challenges currently, but “the fight for equality and justice is bigger than any one moment.”

The Essential Role of Allyship

As Johnson says, it takes cooperation, relationships, and shared vision to succeed. “We have LGBTQ+ folks obviously working in our state government, the executive branch, commissioners all the way down to the staff. It takes all of us together to keep moving our state forward in positive ways. We have allies in this chamber, allies in the Senate Chamber, and I think that that allyship is demonstrated through action in multiple ways, and so much of this is building relationships. That’s, to me the most important part of this.

“And so when you can build relationships as an LGBTQ+ person, I speak for myself, and that’s where people really do want to show up for you and ask, ‘How can I help?’  A lot of our allies I think are ready and willing because they have family members who are LGBTQ+. We’re all in families, and we come from all corners of society. I think that’s reflected here, too. A lot of our allies understand that their constituents are LGBTQ+, and literally everybody sitting in a seat in this chamber and up in the Senate has LGBTQ+ constituents. And I think there’s a growing awareness of that among people beyond even our allies.

“Right now, I think we are really lucky to live in a state like Connecticut, where we have some very strong civil rights protections that were hard fought for and won by people I mentioned earlier. And it’s especially important to us as a caucus to hold the line and make sure we don’t lose our rights and freedoms and protections in this state.

“Given the fact that the incoming federal administration might seek to roll back some of these rights is concerning to us. And we are very much aware of the effect that has on our communities, and especially the most vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth and seniors among them. We have an opportunity right now to propose legislation to strengthen our protections even further, which I think is one of the beautiful things about being in a state house where we as people from our districts can come with ideas and bring them forward and have allies to kind of have these conversations about what that might look like.

“At the same time, we know that whatever comes with the federal administration, we’re here to make sure that people feel heard and seen and valued, and that there are people fighting for them here to make sure that they do not get left behind.”

“You Never Know the Path Your Life is Going to Take”

When asked about her career and her personal journey, Johnson says, that statement “is my headline.”

She says, “I started as a young person thinking I was going to be a musician. Then I thought,  ‘Well, I’m going to be a college professor.’ I did that for a while as well. I started becoming active in politics when  I was in graduate school, and I volunteered for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign. I had been a campus advocate and had worked in our LGBTQ+ coalition, but I think that, that show me that there’s, there’s something to this politics thing.”

Johnson said that while she was teaching during the 2016 campaign, she felt compelled to reach out to her local political party and become involved locally. “It was a very fast track from there. I was appointed to my local city council, the common council in Norwalk. And then a seat very unexpectedly became available in the State House. And neighbors were saying, ‘we would like you to represent us. You’re doing great. We support you.’ And so, it’s only because that  Secretary of the State and won that this seat to represent my community became available.”

Johnson lives with her partner of more than 20 years in the Cranbury neighborhood of Norwalk, and says, “I’m living my American dream in my Connecticut farmhouse. I’m living every dream my grandmother had for me, which seem able to come true in a place like Nowalk in a state like Connecticut. I’m really grateful to this state for that, for home ownership, contributing to my community, contributing to my state now here. It’s so empowering to feel like you’re a part of the American fabric and live that every day. And I think that’s what keeps me going is to make sure everybody has that chance too.”

Johnson concludes saying that she is fighting for people to have that chance who in the past might have been denied it just by virtue of who they were. “I’m Gen-X, but technically a Zillennial, and I’ve lived through a few iterations of our civil rights movement since I was a teenager and have just seen the progress. So, it gets me excited about what we can do even further for the next generation. Their dream is out there, and I want them to take it because now more than ever, things are getting even more possible.”