Charles: “We are the ones who must fight for our future”

Originally Published June 23, 2020, in the Portland Phoenix. See original here.

On Oct. 6, 2018, I attended a wedding for the first time together with my boyfriend, as an openly bisexual man. It was a beautiful experience, and I still remember what it felt like to finally dance without fear.

But some other things happened that weekend that did make me afraid. On Saturday morning, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, putting all of our rights in jeopardy. And on Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a jolting report that warned we only have until 2030 to keep global warming under control and avoid the worst of its impact.

Kavanaugh’s recent stance against LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace proves we were right to worry about him. And as far as climate change goes, we still have a lot of work ahead to end our carbon dependency in Maine – with just 10 years left to do it.

That weekend showed me our future is not guaranteed: we are the ones who have to fight for it. So I joined the race for state representative to fight for Portland’s future. Because this is home to all of us, and I believe it’s worth fighting for.

Charles Skold, Portland

Democratic candidate in House District 38