LGBTQ+ Stories You Should Know About

Meet Some Winning LGBTQ+ Leaders! Election Night Recap:

In Wisconsin, Juliana Bennett, John W. Duncan, Derek Field, Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford and Mike Verveer all won seats on the Madison Common Council! Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway was also reelected as Mayor of Madison.

In Illinois, we saw even more historic victories! Three candidates running for the Chicago City Council won their runoffs, bringing the total number of LGBTQ+ city councilmembers to NINE. Jessie Fuentes, Lamont Robinson, Maria Hadden, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Rossana Rodriguez, Timmy Knudsen, Cody Hendricks, Bennett Lawson and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth will take their place on the Chicago City Council. Lamont is now the first Black out LGBTQ+ man ever elected to the Chicago City Council while Leni is the first AAPI out LGBTQ+ person.

But LGBTQ+ leaders weren’t just celebrating in Chicago: across the state, Kimberly Cavill, running for Township School Board, and Alex Arroyo, running for Aurora School Board celebrated their victories as well.

Local races featured winner likes James Cooper, running for the Oklahoma City Council, Eli Bohnert, running for West Scioto Area Commission in Ohio, Shane Cohn, running for Alderman in St. Louis, Missouri, and Felix Rivera, running in Alaska for Anchorage Assembly. Congratulations to all! It’s only April – we're just getting started.

She's Running, Folks!

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced her run for a third term on Wednesday this week. From the rise in anti-trans bills to reproductive rights, Sen. Baldwin is a fighter for ALL Americans. Wisconsin may be a battleground state for pro-equality candidates, but the future is looking bright.

New Endorsements!

As anti-LGBTQ bills continue to rise, we’re continuing to see even more LGBTQ+ individuals run and win their elections. John Moran and Celia Segal are two of Victory Fund’s newest endorsed candidates from Massachusetts. Election day is coming up quick – May 30th.

John Moran will be the first out LGBTQ+ person to represent the Suffolk 9th District, where he’ll fight for a fair and affordable city, something that many young individuals are struggling with today.

Celia Segal is running for reproductive freedom, accessible health care and to be a representative for low-income Bostonians in Suffolk 10th District. Moran and Segal can’t win without YOUR support.

Continued Anti-LGBTQ Rhetoric from Bigoted Lawmakers…

As historic LGBTQ+ wins cover the Midwest, bigoted lawmakers are still doing their best to demonize our community. Recently, a Florida lawmaker went on a horrific homophobic and transphobic rant, where he blamed trans people for America’s alleged decay, claiming:

"I’m looking at society today and it’s like I’m watching an X-Men Movie with people that… it’s like we have mutants living among us on Planet Earth. And, you know, some people don’t like it but that’s fact.”

Lawmakers like Webster Barnaby are driven by hate. Thankfully, there are great LGBTQ+ candidates on the ballot in Florida. Learn about them here!

The fight for the Right to Choose Continues

"Anti-choice extremists want to ban all abortion, everywhere. They can’t win elections, so they’ve turned to the courts to do their dirty work," said Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Early last week, a Texas federal judge ruled that mifepristone, an important (and common) abortion pill, is to be banned. The court’s orders haven’t been put into effect yet, leaving folks with access to this essential and safe medication. This case will most likely head to the Supreme Court for a final decision.

The judge who issued the ruling also worked for the conservative group First Liberty Institute, which has legally argued against both LGBTQ+ rights and the right to choose. As always, the Venn diagram between anti-choice activists and anti-LGBTQ activists looks suspiciously like a circle.

But while the courts debate, Victory Fund will continue to work to ensure that pro-choice LGBTQ+ leaders are getting elected up and down the ballot. We know our candidates will fight to ensure bodily autonomy and choice isn’t up for grabs.

Click here to learn more about the fight for reproductive justice is the fight for LGBTQ+ equality.