John,

Happy Lead Out Loud Day! Every year on April 2nd, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute celebrates Lead Out Loud Day. This annual event honors the day Kathy Kozachenko made history as the first out LGBTQ+ person to win public office in the U.S. In 1974, Kathy ran as an out lesbian for a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council - and stepped right into history.

To honor her historic victory, we’re calling on more LGBTQ+ people to learn about running for office and sharing stories, notes and video from some of our LGBTQ+ elected officials. Watch all the videos and learn more at victoryinstitute.org/lead today!

And this year, we asked supporters like you to submit notes for our elected officials. One such leader? Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell. In 2022, Erick became the first Black out LGBTQ+ person ever elected to statewide executive office in U.S. history, a historic first long overdue. Born in New Haven, Erick has striven to give back to the community that raised him, working as a lawyer to increase economic development and secure financing for schools, community centers and more. As part of his career, he's worked to uplift and mentor young lawyers of color and other LGBTQ+ lawyers, including founding the LGBTQ+ section of the Connecticut Bar Association.

And now that he's in office, his hard work to open doors and level the playing field continues. We're honored to highlight his great work today - and to share the notes he received from the Victory Institute community! Watch Erick read some of your notes here:

As Erick notes, it's so important to have a diverse, different array of voices at the tables of power. When we do, better policy gets made - and they reflects the needs of the community. That's one of the many reasons we need more LGBTQ+ people to run for office. This Lead Out Loud Day, learn more about how you can launch your campaign at victoryinstitute.org/lead!

Thanks for standing us and groundbreaking LGBTQ+ champions like Erick,

Albert Fujii
Pronouns: he|him|his
Press Secretary, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute