LGBTQ+ Representation Surpasses All Previous Records in New Congress
Historic election results mark the most LGBTQ+ members ever in Congress, with 17 openly LGBTQ+ individuals elected.
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With Democrat victories across the nation on Tuesday, the next Congress is set to become the most inclusive for LGBTQ+ representation in history. At least 17 LGBTQ+ candidates were elected by voters to serve on Capitol Hill, marking a historic milestone in U.S. political representation.
The Congressional Equality Caucus, which focuses on pushing forward LGBT policies, celebrated the results. The caucus shared a statement on social media: “The American people have made their voices heard. The 120th Congress will officially be the GAYEST Congress in history! (that we know of) Let’s get to work.”
The American people have made their voices heard.
While three LGBTQ+ members are leaving Congress, at least six are joining, moving the total to 17, according to LGBT site PinkNews. Democrat Chris Pappas became the first openly gay man elected to the Senate after defeating former Republican Senator John Sununu in New Hampshire. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the first openly lesbian senator, was not up for re-election.
Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), a trans-identifying man representing Delaware, was re-elected to the House of Representatives. Democrat JD Ford from deep-red Indiana became the state’s first openly gay member of Congress, defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz in the 5th Congressional District, a seat that had not elected a Democrat since 1990.
Lesbian Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) was re-elected for her fifth term, while gay Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres won his fourth term representing New York. Michigan also elected its first gay man to the House, with Democrat state senator Jeremy Moss set to succeed Rep. Haley Stevens after her unsuccessful Senate primary run against Abdul El-Sayed.
Other LGBTQ+ members include Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza (D-AZ), and Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL). Irony struck as this year’s Election Day also brought a historic record of Muslims to Congress, including El-Sayed, who is set to become the first Muslim senator.
Several Muslims were also elected and re-elected to the House, including André Carson (D-IN), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Adam Hamawy (D-NJ), and Darializa Avila Chevalier (D-NY).
Source: Daily Wire
