LGBTQ+ Stories You Should Know About

Big Wins in Washington & Tennessee!

Last week, it was too soon to call many of our races in Washington and Tennessee. But that’s no longer the case – we’re ready to share that most of our candidates won their campaigns!

In Washington, Corina Pfeil, running for the Kenmore City Council, Kevin Schilling, running for the Burien City Council, Maren Costa and Joy Hollingsworth, both running for the Seattle City Council, Jamika Scott, running for the Tacoma City Council and Dontae Payne, running for the Mayor of Olympia, all received the most votes in their elections and are headed to the November ballot. Elizabeth Greninger, our candidate for SeaTac City Council, took second and will advance as well!

In Tennessee, incumbent City Councilmember Emily Benedict clinched a win, reclaiming her seat on the Council!

On the Verge of LGBTQ+ History in Mississippi

Did you see the good news? Spotlight candidate Fabian Nelson and Justin Lofton both advanced to a runoff after the Mississippi primaries!

If Fabian wins his runoff, he’ll be one step closer to becoming the first out person elected to Mississippi’s state legislature, while Justin will be the first out LGBTQ+ county supervisor in the state of Mississippi!

Both candidates will be on the ballot again on August 29 – that’s only 18 days away! Learn more about both their campaigns today!

Ohio Fights Back for Democracy

Another big victory this week? Ohio voters soundly rejected Issue 1, dealing a huge blow to anti-trans and anti-choice forces.

Quick catch up: Issue 1 would have required a supermajority of voters to amend the state constitution. Why does this matter? Later this year, Ohio will have a referendum on abortion rights, aimed at repealing the state’s outdated abortion ban. If this amendment had passed, it would have made it harder to repeal the ban.

Even more satisfying? Those pushing to pass Issue 1 leaned heavily into anti-trans ads, spending over $2,000,000 on anti-trans ads in attempt to utilize horrific stereotypes and demonize trans people. What a waste of money.