Queer candidate seeks more diversity on Bowling Green City Council

(Editor’s Note: Damon Sherry emerged victorious in the 2023 election. More info on all the winners here.)

Damon Sherry has always cared about government. As a student at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), they were twice elected president of the BGSU College Democrats, as well as vice president of the university’s Queer-Trans Student Union. They also served in leadership roles for the BGSU Undergraduate Student Government, the College Democrats of Ohio and the Wood County Young Democrats. 

Now, with graduation approaching, they are setting their sights on the community where they’ve chosen to lay roots—and running for a spot on Bowling Green City Council. 

“There is little to no diversity on our council,” Sherry said, adding that out of seven sitting city councilmembers, six are white men. “So me being, although white, an openly queer and non-binary person, I’ll be adding a different perspective.”

If elected, Sherry will become Bowling Green’s first out elected official. The Buckeye Flame chatted with the candidate about what that would mean to them and why now more than ever the political landscape could use an injection of diversity.

Why run now?

I think what motivated me the most is that I care. I think that’s why a lot of people run; they care about the community. I’ve been in Bowling Green for quite a few years now for college, and I’ve started laying roots here. Looking out at my community, I see things I want to change – things that need to be improved. Our current council members don’t seem to see things the same way. So, I thought, with the political experience I gained during college, I could bring a new point of view to our council.

What do you hope to accomplish as a council member?

I’m running what I call a “campaign of care.” My campaign has been constantly evolving as I’ve been talking to people. Everyone gets a say. For instance, I was door-knocking in a trailer park and a woman there told me they don’t have an evacuation route for tornadoes. That needs to be addressed. I want people to feel they have a voice through me on the council, including BGSU students, who make up a big portion of the city’s economy and population but who currently have no representation on our council. 

As for things I hope to accomplish, I really want to transition the city from fluorescent lights to LED lights. A city near ours, Perrysburg, is doing this and is projected to save $10 million annually. I am also a supporter of a citizen-led initiative for dog parks because they build community. I’m also a big advocate for bike lanes, which not only reduce traffic, but also are safer for the bikers. Last year, we updated our nondiscrimination ordinances to include more protections for pregnant women, so I want to continue to update that so it is more inclusive to all identities.

What lessons have you learned over the course of your campaign?

Something I learned is that public speaking can be hard, and not everyone is going to like you. You have to prepare yourself for that. There are people out there who will disagree with you heavily or just won’t like you because of your party affiliation, your thoughts on certain things, and other things like that. I also learned to always keep an open mind when door-knocking because you’re going to learn so many things that you didn’t know were issues before.

What advice would you give to other LGBTQ+ folks who might be thinking about running for office?

I encourage all LGBTQ+ people who want to run for office to do so – we need that representation now more than ever – but be prepared, mentally, for the backlash you might face. Being a first is one of the biggest things you can do, because you can inspire more people, but it can also be really scary. I think an issue that our community has is if you don’t see anyone who looks like you representing you, it makes it harder to know where to start. But I encourage everyone to be that first to open the door for another queer person to get involved in politics or take up local activism. You’ll find a lot of people out there who will turn out to support you.

If elected, you’ll become Bowling Green’s first out non-binary City Council member. How do you feel about that?

It feel amazing because it means that we are moving forward as a city. It means we are moving forward as a society in northwest Ohio. It’s like a dream come true because we haven’t seen many out queer people in office until very recently. I think when queer people run and queer people win, we all win. We bring that perspective of our queer identity and get to educate people in our areas about who queer people are, what the LGBTQ+ community represents, and what perspectives we bring to make our communities more inclusive and more equal as a society. 🔥

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Ignite Action

• To learn more about Damon Sherry, visit them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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