Gay elected
The South just elected its first openly LGBTQ member of Congress. And she’s from Texas.
Julie Johnson has reached plenty of milestones since she first ran for office six years ago.
Now, she has become the first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from a Southern state. Johnson on Tuesday won the race to exchange Colin Allred, who stepped down to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
The North Texas seat represents parts of Collin, Dallas and Denton counties.
Johnson handily thrash GOP hopeful Darrell Day, a former Arlington city councilman. In a share to Instagram delayed Tuesday, she called her win “a testament to the power of collective action.”
“It’s about the countless individuals who fought for equality and inclusion and the belief that our government should reflect the will of its people,” Johnson wrote. “This win belongs to you.”
Johnson has served since 2019 in the Texas Dwelling of Representatives, where she was a founding member of the LGBTQ Caucus. As a articulate lawmaker, she prioritized public health issues like lowering barriers to drug access and targeting potentially dangerous doctors.
Several national LGBTQ rights groups track representation among elected officials
“We refuse to stay on the sidelines.”
Watch LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Evan Low‘s interview on CBS News about the power of LGBTQ+ representation.
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Historical Essay
by Darby West
Harvey Milk, Nov. 23, 1977, after successful Supervisor campaign.
Photo: Dan Nicoletta, Bancroft Library
Harvey Milk was more than just the first openly homosexual man elected to universal office in California. He was an embodiment of a movement. His approachable demeanor paired with his empowering words of wisdom led Milk to secure supporters of all kinds, especially those who never felt like they had a voice before. Starting off as a compact businessman working at his camera store in the Castro, Milk became committed in his neighborhood politics, and soon decided that his passions and ideas were too important not to share. Milk ran for office three times before he finally won a spot on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He made a large impact on the city even though he was only in office for 11 months before he was assassinated. However, Milk’s legacy did not die with him; he is still very important to the LGBT community today.
Harvey Milk in the 1978 Gay Pride Parade.
Photo: SF Gay History
This is an image of Milk at the Gay Pride March in San Francisco in 1978, the year he was murdered. Milk knew that an assassination was
First openly gay person elected governor in US
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Democratic Congressman Jared Polis has won the governor's race in Colorado, US networks projected on Tuesday (Nov 7), making him the first openly gay person to be elected governor in the United States.
The five-term congressman, 43, who crushed Republican Walker Stapleton, was open about his sexual orientation during the campaign, often referring to it in his criticism of President Donald Trump.
Ms Kate Brown became the first bisexual governor when she was elected in Oregon in 2015, while another governor, Mr Jim McGreevey of New Jersey, came out as gay before resigning in 2004.
But Mr Polis is the first openly gay candidate to be elected governor.
He will succeed Democrat John Hickenlooper, who has been in office since 2011.
A self-made millionaire and tech entrepreneur, Mr Polis was admitted to Princeton at age 16 and has said that he set his sights on becoming governor when he was in college.
Mr Polis, who is Jewish, switched his label from Jared Schultz to Jared Polis at age 25 to honour his grandmother, he has said.
LGBTQ+ Elected Officials
“If you are not at the table, you are likely on the menu.”
Former U.S. Representative Barney Frank
Our network of over 1,000+ LGBTQ+ elected officials from across the nation are leading efforts to advance equality at every level of government. These elected officials represent America at its leading – diverse leaders who make the values of inclusion, fairness and justice the cornerstone of their policy positions and decision-making.
Out for America Interactive Map
Our interactive Out for America map shows known openly Queer elected officials at every level of government. Filter by state, position level, party affiliation, sexual orientation, gender persona and race/ethnicity.
Engaging the Network
LGBTQ+ Victory Institute provides regular opportunities for our network of more than 1,170 out Queer Elected Officials to convene and attach on the critical issues facing the communities they attend . To learn more about upcoming and past topics, click here.
Counting our Elected Officials
We work to track out Diverse elected officials at all levels of government on our Out for America interactive map. But with more than 519,0