LGBTQ Candidates Made Strides in 2020 Elections

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By Joanne Georges , PC Board Member

Despite the stress and nearly week-long wait for final ballot counts, this year’s election cycle yielded huge wins and historical gains for LGBTQ candidates. Over 220 openly LGBTQ candidates won congressional, federal, and local elections. Thanks to the tireless efforts of grassroots campaigning and organizations like the LGBTQ Victory Fund, these candidates are paving the way for LGBTQ visibility and rights.

The 2020 election year carried at least 1006 LGBTQ candidates running for office, according to The Conversation. Just 0.17 percent of roughly half-million officials are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. These recent wins show the needle is moving slowly but surely toward “equitable representation,” as summarized by the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

Here are just 10 of the newly elected rainbow officials:

“Rainbow and American Flags” by Tony Webster is licensed under CC BY 2.0

SENATORS

DELAWARE

Sarah McBride won a seat in the Delaware state senate. She made history as the highest-ranking transgender elected official and the first openly transgender person to serve in a state Senate.

GEORGIA

Kim Jackson won a seat in the Georgia State Senate as the first lesbian and openly LGBTQ state senator in Georgia. Jackson is now the third openly LGBTQ Black female state Senator in the US.

FLORIDA

Shevrin Jones now represents the 35th District to the Florida State Senate and as the state’s first out LGBTQ+ state Senator. He is among the only out Black men serving in the US State Senate, a distinction shared with Jabari Brisport in New York.

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NEW YORK

Jabari Brisport is the state Senator-elect for New York’s 25th State Senate district in Brooklyn, NY. Brisport is making history as the state’s first LGBTQ+ legislator of color.

VERMONT

Taylor Small is now Vermont’s first tranasgender legislator, winning a spot in the state’s House of Representatives.

KANSAS

Sharice David has hit an extraordinary number of firsts. As the newly elected Kansas 3rd District House Rep, David is the first openly LGBTQ Native American elected to the US Congress. She is the first openly gay person elected to the US Congress from Kansas. Finally, David is one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress.

MISSOURI

Greg Razer is the only out LGBTQ+ representative in the deep-red state. Razer previously served in Missouri’s House of Repre-

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

sentatives.

OKLAHOMA

Mauree Turner won their race for Oklahoma’s House of Representatives for District 88, making them the first openly nonbinary person elected to a state legislature. Turner is the first Muslim legislator in the state.

CALIFORNIA

Mark Takano won his reelection to the House. Takano became the first gay person of color in Congress in 2011 as the representative of Southern California’s Riverside County.

COLORADO

David Ortiz won his run for Colorado’s House of Representatives District 38, making him the state’s first bisexual legislator. As a veteran, Ortiz advocates for better care and rehabilitation for service members and veterans from

a personal perspective. For more information on how to support and recognize the efforts of LGBTQ candidates, check out the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

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Sugar Cookie Truffles

The Ingredients

sugar cookies cream cheese white chocolate candy melts sprinkles

The Instructions

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper & set aside. 2. Place the sugar cookies in a food processor & pulse until you have fine crumbs. 3. Add in cream cheese & process again until well-combined. 4. Scoop 1 tbsp of dough mixture & roll between hands to form 10 balls & then place on prepared baking sheet. 5. Place the rolled dough into the freezer for about 30 minutes. 6. While the dough is chilling you can melt the chocolate by placing in a microwave-safe bowl & heating in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. 7. Stir & microwave again for 20 seconds at 50% power level. 8. Continue until chocolate is smooth. Remove the chilled dough from the freezer. 9. Use 2 forks to dip the chilled dough balls into the melted chocolate, turning to coat. 10. Tap off any excess chocolate before returning the truffle to the baking sheet. 11. Immediately top with desired sprinkles. Repeat the process until you have coated all of the chilled dough balls.

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