I’ve been intrigued watching the news over the past couple of months. Seeing CNN and others on the campaign trail with presidential hopefuls has brought a range of thoughts about what lies ahead for us as a community.

It is disconcerting to me that all this activity is taking place so far in advance of the November 2008 elections and that so much money will be spent before we get there. However, I also see some very encouraging signs.

I see large crowds turning out at campaign stops and enthusiasm for political ideas and process. I see a diversity of candidates and crowds, and I know that GLBT people are and will be a part of each and every campaign, no matter the party or candidate.

In California, the change to an earlier primary also creates new opportunities for us to make an unprecedented impact on the political process.

Our issues are already being discussed and will continue to be. “Gay rights” is mentioned almost daily in news coverage, and “pro-gay rights” has been used to describe candidates in both parties.

The 2008 presidential campaign provides us numerous historic opportunities –opportunities to get involved, to work on issues of importance to the GLBT community, and to make a difference in our own lives and the lives of all those we care about.

And, of course, I’ve also heard some say they’re not political or that they believe none of it really affects them. Somehow we all have to better communicate just how untrue that is. Politics and policy touch all of our lives. Decisions are made every day that affect your student loans, the cost of buying a home, the conditions of the streets you live and travel on, the safety of your neighborhood, Medicare, MediCal, the schools in your area, Social Security, the price you pay for health insurance or whether you even have access to basic health care.

As GLBT Americans, we share in the universal concerns for homeland security, foreign relations, employment, the economy, education, child welfare and health care. And we have unique concerns for things like the repeal of the wrong-headed and unjust laws that enforce marriage discrimination, the onerous “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on military service, the anti-family and anti-child attempts to ban GLBT adoptions, and all of the attempts to keep us second-class citizens.

As I think about how GLBT people – of all ages and races and genders – will participate in these upcoming campaigns, I am reminded of the simple truism that the direction of our city, state and nation will be decided by those who show up. As a community, we must show up. If we don’t, others will decide upon our freedoms, or lack thereof, for us.

This election is a chance for us to empower ourselves, our friends and families and our communities. It’s an opportunity to stand up for the values we hold so dear. To stand up for compassionate fairness, for freedom, for honest and open government, for justice and opportunity for all – not just the privileged few. I can think of few things more disempowering than letting others make life-altering decisions for us while we remain on the sidelines.

And one special point of focus: 2004 election research indicated that unmarried women under 40 were one of the largest groups of unregistered or inconsistent voters. That is a category that includes all lesbians less than 40 and not in a heterosexual marriage. If we really want to make a difference in our lives, and in the lives of those who will come after us, this cannot continue to be true. Decisions will be made by those who show up.

We have an historic election in front of us, and we can and must seize the opportunities available in the coming months to educate those who think involvement is unimportant and that things like voting won’t matter. Decisions will be made by those who show up.