Nearly 100 women and men met at the Hillcrest restaurant Kemo Sabe prior to the San Diego Pride parade last Saturday to support equality and honor influential women such as City Councilmember Toni Atkins, openly gay Montana state Rep. Christine Kaufmann and newly elected San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman.

“We have a lot to be thankful for,” said Atkins of the growth and excitement of this year’s meeting. “I look forward every year to this brunch. It’s meetings like this that get LGBT people elected.”

The Victory Fund is a national support organization dedicated to helping lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans win at the ballot box. Since its creation in 1991, the Victory Fund has contributed to the election of hundreds of openly GLBT candidates. From Congress and state legislatures to school boards and city councils, the organization is committed to increasing the number of GLBT public officials.

“We are making history,” said brunch organizer Pamela Wilson, “and moving toward gay and lesbian representatives in every state in the union.”

State Senator Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, who is running for California secretary of state, spoke briefly on the necessity of organizations like the Victory Fund. Bowen, who supports open government and increased environmental safety, said people must be willing to hold on to their beliefs and continue advocating for civil rights.

Kaufmann, this year’s keynote speaker, said while her sexual orientation has been an issue for her opponents, “It’s more important to my constituents to know their kids have breakfast on the table rather than know who I have breakfast with.”

Kaufmann was elected in 2000 and is a notable advocate in the state for low-income families and GLBT issues.

She light-heartedly told of Montana Pride in which 500-plus people descended on a three-block radius of Helena, and maintained that first and foremost she’s an activist. While Montana’s House of Representatives is not in session, Kaufmann sits as co-director of the Human Rights Network, whose goal, she said, is to “expose the right wing.”

Using her story of struggle and success, Kaufmann challenged every person in the room to get involved and concluded by saying, “I don’t win office because I’m a lesbian; I win because of my stance on equality and civil rights.”

For more information on the Victory Fund or its endorsed candidates, visit www.victoryfund.org.