THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

The accusations coming from Dold's camp against Schneider are therefore growing increasingly more vitriolic. An ad released by the Congressional Leadership Fund asserted that Schneider is "hiding taxes for his household" while "raising taxes for ours." During an ABC-7 online forum earlier this month, Dold claimed that he had a record of independence and bipartisanship, asserting that the district deserved a voice representing "the entire community, not just one political party."

Dold's record—as listed on the Sunlight Foundation's Open Congress website—showed that he voted with his party 84 percent of the time. His party-line opinions against same-sex-marriage and employment non-discrimination earned him a 35-percent rating by the Human Rights Campaign last year.

None of this is news to Schneider who told Windy City Times that Dold's rhetoric and his record are two actions separated by a common vote. "It's easier to [make a statement] on a website and a different thing to take that vote standing on the floor of House of Representatives," Schneider said. "Time and time again, Mr. Dold chose to vote with the Republicans. He was a reliable Republican vote on virtually every issue."

One such issue in which Schneider maintains Dold contradicts himself is that of women's health care. On his website, Dold asserts that "protecting a woman's right to choose is critical." But, according to Schneider, the voting record tells a different story. "Dold voted seven times against women's right to make their own choices about their own health care," Schneider said. "He voted to defund Planned Parenthood. That's not pro-choice."

Similarly, Schneider called into question Dold's claim to support immigration reform in which he stated "it's time that our government provide those who are contributing to our society a pathway out of the shadows and an opportunity to become part of the American dream."

"When Mr. Dold was in the House, he voted for a measure that would specifically target Dreamers for deportation," Schneider said. "That's a big difference."

The measure was a Republican sponsored amendment to the HR 5855 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act that would have prohibited the use of funds needed to ensure deportation protections for undocumented children.

"I believe we must have immigration reform," Schneider said. "Three pieces have to be a part of it: securing our borders for sure, but also guaranteeing a pathway to citizenship and making sure dreamers— those young people who have gone through our schools and called the United States their home—can achieve success here."

Schneider's position is part of a personal code of caring for family and community that he said was instilled during his childhood years in Denver, Colorado and went on to define him in high school and then college. "I was part of a large extended family that was both loving and caring," he remembered. "I grew up in an environment where you take care of your family and your neighbors and think about and take interest in what's going on in the world around you."

While working toward his MBA at Northwestern University, Schneider met his wife Julie. The couple—who are poised to celebrate their 25th anniversary—settled in Deerfield, Illinois, to raise two sons. "It was their future and their generation's future that brought me into politics," Schneider recalled. "Our country has so many big challenges and if we don't start addressing them, the promise that each generation gives to the next—a future that's more prosperous and secure—is in doubt. I looked at the Tea Party Congress and those people voting 'no' on everything regardless of what it was and decided that we needed to take a different path."

Yet, much as the character of Jefferson Smith discovered in Frank Capra's take on Washington politics, Schneider's idealism was in for an ugly shock once he began his term in 2012. "When I was campaigning two years ago, the frustration I felt and heard with the gridlock in Washington was extraordinarily high," Schneider said. "I will tell you now that, having served two years in Congress, my frustration is only higher to see this relatively small group within the Republican party who will say "no" to everything. If I told you it was sunny today, they would pass a resolution saying it's cloudy. That is what is holding back our country."

By way of example, Schneider cited immigration reform that remains stalled in the House. Republican efforts to block extension of unemployment insurance benefits have created a similar unassailable barrier. "There's no way to break through that gridlock because the Tea Party and the Republicans simply said 'no' on issue after issue," Schneider asserted. "How do we help people achieve their dreams when progress towards them is continually blocked?"

Schneider called on Speaker of the House John Boehner to bring immigration reform to a vote. "Let us have that vote," he declared. "I think if we did, it would pass by a wide margin. For me, it's a matter of treating everybody equally. There are many LGBT people coming from countries who truly are refugees. They cannot go back without facing violence or death and that needs to be recognized. "

Schneider recalled his fierce desire for full equality being driven by his own family's experience rather than a party line. It was not something that evolved over time; rather he was raised with it. "My oldest cousin Mark is gay," Schneider said. "When I was getting married in 1989, he was moving from Denver to Seattle and my aunt was struggling with that but my grandmother said [to her ]'why should you be any less happy for your son going off to make a life with whom he loves than you are for your nephew making a life with whom he loves?' If two people love each other and want to raise a family and emigrate together, they should be able to do exactly that."

Similarly, Schneider's background has shaped a core belief in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ( ENDA ). "Having worked in business, I know that companies succeed when the people who work for them are not afraid on a day-to-day basis to say who they are and who they love because they might lose their job," he said. "Employment non-discrimination is something I will fight for because it is the right thing to do for our economy and for families."

Schneider is also impassioned about putting an end to the bullying of LGBTQ students in the nation's schools. "We can't allow kids to be blocked from learning the skills and lessons they need to succeed as adults in school because they are in an environment where they are being judged for who they are."

Despite Dold's claims to now support ENDA, in 2010 the newly elected congressman indicated that he was opposed to it. Schneider noted that his opponent's voting record since then speaks for itself. "He voted to delay the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' [DADT]," Schneider stated. "And he has said that marriage should be between a man and a woman."

Schneider added that he was happy to respond to the Congressional Leadership Fund's assertions regarding his tax-returns. "I released my tax returns for 2013, in addition to my Annual Financial Disclosure which lists every single asset I own— stocks bonds and mutual funds," he said. "Not just mine but for my entire family."

Looking forward, Schneider pledged to use his next term in Congress to continue the fight for economic and social progress. "Nothing would make me happier than, five years from now, to be able to look back and say that our healthcare system is much better than it was a decade ago and our education system is producing the most innovative and productive people in the entire world. Nothing would make me happier than to look back and say everybody in America has a right to marry whom they love."

Windy City Times reached out to Dold for a response, but those requests went unanswered.