Democrats Are Afraid of Identity Politics. For Us, It's Survival.
Eric Bauman, Champion of Democratic Party LGBTQ+ Identity and Inclusion, Has Died. Have progressive political principles died with him?
Gruff, brusque, mob boss-like, politically savvy, quick witted, mentor-minded, sensitive, kind – just some of Eric Bauman’s outstanding characteristics revealed over decades as an out gay giant of California politics. Eric died Monday, June 16 of a progressive neurological disorder at UCLA West Valley Medical Center. He was 66.
Some public notices of Eric’s death acknowledged: 1) his political successes building Morris Kight and Ivy Bottini’s Stonewall Democratic Club into the largest LGBTQ political club in the country during the Newt Gingrich era; 2) significantly increasing the power of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, often appearing in Capitol Weekly’s Top 100 Influential Insiders, winning elections from water boards to Congress despite the growing Tea Party movement; 3) getting a reputation as a “Kingmaker” and rising to single digits as a political Sacramento insider serving as a key advisor to numerous high profile elected officials during the racist backlash to President Obama and conservative hyper-ventilating during marriage equality as Vice-Chair, then Chair of the California Democratic Party; 4) his resignation after allegations of inappropriate conduct, prompting confusion since he never got to defend himself; 5) and his post-CDP life as a political radio host of UnCommon Sense Democrat on KCAA NBC Radio (disclaimer: I was an occasional guest.)
This is the outline of an uncommon life of service through politics – especially for LGBTQ+ people, workers – unionized and not, women, young and old people and people of color – all of whom Eric wanted to specifically help through an increasingly welcoming mainstream grassroots political party.
If Eric Bauman was alive and Chair today, the California Democratic Party would have already posted a statement condemning Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling that will be interpreted as saying transgender children and their families do not have the right to equal access to healthcare.
“The decision will send shockwaves through the transgender community. By embedding discrimination into Supreme Court precedent, the justices have ensured that transgender Americans will likely spend a generation clawing back rights now imperiled,” writes trans activist Erin Reed in her blog Erin In The Morning.
Perhaps the Democratic Party is simply nodding to the new political reality where “identity” is a dirty word that will cost elections.
In his Wednesday blog on The American Prospect, “On Iran, It’s Trump vs. MAGA,” Robert Kuttner wrote: “Bannon, as much as anyone, was Trump’s tutor in the run-up to the first Trump victory in 2016. Bannon had a cogent theory of how to connect economic nationalism and isolationism to racist nationalism. As he told me in the too-candid August 2017 phone call that led to his firing from the White House, ‘The Democrats—the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.’”
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has gone on an epic tour telling Democratics to stop talking about identity politics after the election failures of Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.
“No one gives a s–t anymore in a Democratic Party what gender you are, what race you are, what ethnicity you are. They just want to win … we’re not here to make history,” Carville said on the “Politics War Room” podcast.
“We’re here to make a win and whatever we have to do to win this f–king election, we’re going to do that. And I think that any time that the Democratic Party has any other motive other than victory, it screws us up,” Carville added.
Longtime LGBTQ+ ally Gov. Gavin Newsom, a possible presidential candidate in 2028, apparently heard that message, trying to discourage California Democrats from introducing transgender rights legislation just before he publicly split with his party on trans athletes. On his new podcast, Newsom said trans women and girls on athletics teams matching their gender identity is “deeply unfair,” according to POLITICO.
The State Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus introduced a package of bills anyway. “We woke up profoundly disappointed and sickened, when you have someone who has been thoughtful and has been a very unwavering ally release a statement like that,” Caucus Chair Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, told POLITICO. “This is playing into a lot of the conversation that Donald Trump is obsessing about in order to distract us.”
“Hostility to transgender rights played a central role in Mr. Trump’s last presidential campaign and in the early months of his administration,” the New York Times reported introducing the anti-trans SCOTUS decision. “Democrats have struggled to respond, as polls indicate broad discomfort on transgender issues, particularly when minors are involved.”
That “struggle” has yielded the simple message that everything trans distracts from more important issues. The Times writes: “Sometimes Democrats have appeared eager to change the topic. Responding to Wednesday’s decision, Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, said on social media that ‘Republicans’ cruel crusade against trans kids is all an attempt to divert attention from ripping healthcare away from millions of Americans.’”
Eric Bauman would have responded strongly to Carville, Newsom and Schumer. Eric knew, worked with and cared about trans people. Trans people were not “distractions.” Trans people are human beings, not a troublesome issue.
Take trans Judge Vicky Kolakowski, for instance, who wrote this on Eric’s Facebook page about his death: “I am so sad to hear this. Eric and I served together on the first board of directors of what was then called the California Alliance for Pride and Equality (CAPE), now known as Equality California. It was great working with him because he always kept it and he had such a good head on his shoulders. Eric was a giant in promoting the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights for all people.”
Unlike so many others, Eric was aware that Trump’s 2016 election created a tremendous spike in the volume of calls to the Trans Lifeline and the Trevor Project suicide prevention helpline.
“The election of Donald Trump ushers in one of darkest eras in our nation’s modern political history,” then-LA County Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman wrote in a statement after the election shocker. “Many across the state and country are frightened, and they are right to feel that way.”
For Eric, exercising the progressive principles embedded in Democratic Party politics enabled him to practice the deeply personal Judaic principles of Tikkun olam – an opportunity to do good and repair the world.
A registered nurse with a graduate education in health care administration and hospital experience in trauma and intensive care units, Eric co-founded Consultants in Nursing Services Administration, a health care management consulting firm, with his beloved husband Michael Andraychak in 1990—the height of the second wave of AIDS. He served as President of Stonewall Democratic Club from 1994 to 2001, during which time he was instrumental in getting Gray Davis elected Governor over his millionaire opponents, earning the title “kingmaker” in many political circles. He went on to serve Davis as a Special Assistant, LGBT liaison and director of Davis’ L.A. office. He then served John Garamendi as both Insurance Commissioner and Lt. Governor – after which he served as senior advisor to Assembly Speakers John Perez, Toni Atkins, and Anthony Rendon.
During these times, Eric facilitated my journalistic interviews with these leaders, never interfering – including one uncomfortable interview with Gov. Davis, a staunch Catholic, when I asked him what made his love and marriage to his wife more important than Eric’s love for Michael – whom he couldn’t marry? Gray Davis cared for Eric and Michael and was caught off guard, stammering out something that I think eventually made it easier for him to sign Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg’s enhanced domestic partnership bill – “civil unions” without the anguishing fight.
After Trump’s election, Eric tried to encourage regular people to “get and stay active. Do not crawl into a ditch and hide. It’s OK to not watch TV for a while. But do not be afraid,” he said. “California doesn’t have to let the Trumpist mentality and allowing bigots and racists to take over our state. This state is a progressive icon for all our nation.”
Create opportunities, he said. “Most of all, there has to be resistance. People need to speak out and challenge the prospect of Trump’s personal behavior becoming normal.”
Identity was a part of that. Consider joining the California Democratic Party, Eric said, which “puts people first and supports creating opportunities for everybody, no matter who they are, where came from, how got here, what their economic status is, and who they love.”
Bauman tried to reach out to voters with no party preference, focusing on issues such as healthcare and education affordability. Also - LGBT people need to become more engaged with communities beyond the LGBT community and at all levels of government.
“We have to be part of it all to make sure our voices are heard,” Eric told me. But “we can’t do it alone. For us to be successful, we have to work in partnership with young people, the donor class, the grassroots class—we can’t do it alone,” he said, underscoring the need for coalition building and “making a place at the table with other people. If we can’t hear their voice, we can’t help them.”
Eric died knowing he was deeply loved by Michael and so many friends who stuck by him, loving the man beneath the gruff bravado. But the California Democratic Party he loved so much has still not acknowledged his passing. Has the Democratic Party abandoned its progressive principles of inclusion for an air kiss by hollow man Donald Trump?
Given Eric’s example, we’ll make a place at the table for them, if they want to listen to our unique voices. We are a big democratic choir singing for our lives.