William Waybourn and the Victory Fund
I drove to Washington DC this past Monday, 12/11, and returned two days later with another interview secured.
During the 6.5 hour trip I must have listened to seventeen variations of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer as radio stations faded in and out through the mountains of Pennsylvania and into West Virginia.
Still, the roads were clear and I even beat the ETA in both directions!
William Waybourn - Washington, DC., 2023
William Waybourn - a seemingly quiet and grounded individual - significantly impacted the political arena by helping to make public office more attainable for LGBTQ+ candidates.
He also fought ceaselessly in Dallas to secure the care and medications that were vital for those with HIV/AIDS, even successfully helping to sue a local hospital, which had a waiting list for medications and was limiting the number of patients they would treat.
The Victory Fund
William Waybourn (back), who served as Executive Director from 1991 to 1995, with Victory Fund co-founder Vic Basile.
In 1991, William Waybourn was instrumental in founding the Victory Fund. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve.
Sherry Harris
In 1991, Seattle City Council candidate Sherry Harris became the first Victory Fund endorsed candidate, becoming the nation’s first openly lesbian African-American city council member.
In 1992, Tammy Baldwin, won a seat in the Wisconsin State House of Representatives.
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund is now one of the strongest LGBTQ organizations in the country.
The Fund has helped elect thousands of LGBTQ+ people to positions at all levels of government. These LGBTQ+ voices have made significant contributions to advancing equality for LGBTQ+ Americans – from passing non-discrimination laws to defeating amendments to ban marriage equality.
The Front Porch & the Rat
William continues to be involved in the restaurant business, something he grew up around. He and his partner Craig Spaulding, own the Front Porch, in The Plains, VA. They love to have the LGBT community come.
Unfortunately a next-door neighbor is not so loving. A story went world-wide this year about them throwing a dead rat over the fence and then calling the Department of Health. Fortunately a surveillance camera captured the whole thing.
You can read more in the British Daily Mail