Some positive election news as a rainbow wave of LGBTQI victories emerges
BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS
If you’ve been keeping your eye on the U.S. election results over the past couple of days, you may be feeling quite disheartened or concerned about what the future holds for LGBTQI rights. However, we are here to assure you that it’s not all doom and gloom.
In a glimmer of hope, at least 35 openly out LGBTQI candidates have been elected this year. This includes queer representatives who are Black, Muslim, non-binary and even the first ever transgender person to win a State Senate seat, Sarah McBride.
I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too.
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 4, 2020
While data on other LGBTQI candidates is still emerging, other wins included Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones, respectively the first out gay Afro-Latino and Black men elected to Congress.
Other landmark victories included Mauree Turner, who identifies as non-binary and became Oklahoma’s first Muslim state representative, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
This series of historic wins, deemed the Rainbow Wave, is a huge milestone for the LGBTQI community. Having LGBTQI people visible in politics will ensure that people across America can feel supported and represented regardless of the overall outcome of the election.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the LGBTQI rights organisation GLAAD, in a statement: “Tonight’s wins for LGBTQ people of colour and transgender Americans across the country are historic and long overdue.”
“Their victories represent a leap forward for LGBTQ acceptance and a demand for more of the progress and equality that their very presence demonstrates.”
With millions of votes still uncounted, we can at least breathe a huge sigh of relief for now in the knowledge there will be strong support for the LGBTQI community in the coming years.
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