John,

Happy Lead Out Loud Day! Today, we're celebrating LGBTQ+ elected officials and sharing notes and videos submitted by the Victory Institute community.

I'm honored to share our second video of the day with you, from Minnesota state Representative Leigh Finke. Last year, Leigh made history as the first out trans person ever elected in the state - and her victory came just in time. As waves of anti-trans bills sweep the country, Leigh used her seat to make a difference.

Thanks to her hard work, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order protecting gender-affirming care and making Minnesota a trans refuge state. Leigh is also working to pass the bill into law, ensuring trans kids, their families and their medical information are safe.

Watch Leigh read a note from the Victory Institute community (it's me!) here:

This is a scary time to be trans but we - meaning every member of the LGBTQ+ community, not just trans people - have to keep stepping up to run and fighting back against anti-trans hate.

Right now, trans people are woefully underrepresented at all levels of government. Too many states still haven't elected any trans people at all! That's why we need you to step up to run or urge a trans person to run for office today. This Lead Out Loud Day, follow Leigh's advice: learn more about how you can launch your campaign at victoryinstitute.org/lead!

Thanks for standing us and groundbreaking trans champions like Leigh,

Ryan Schaefer
Pronouns: he|him|his
Development Associate, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute