LGBTQ+ Stories You Should Know About

Pride Month Primary Wins!

Excellent news from our Pride Month Primaries: Spotlight candidate RaShaun Kemp WON his runoff for the Georgia State Senate and is virtually guaranteed to win this seat in November. He will be the first out gay Black man elected to the Georgia state legislature!

And the good news continues in Oklahoma, where Michelle McCane, our candidate for the Oklahoma State House, WON her primary with 73% of the vote! Read more about Michelle’s campaign here.

In Virginia’s local races, incumbent candidate R. Kirk McPike advanced by winning one of four seats for the Alexandria City Council!

In Florida, the candidate filing has now passed, and two candidates are advancing without opponents! In the State Senate, Carlos Guillermo Smith is now the presumed winner for District 17! David Richardson, running for Miami-Dade Tax Collector, is also opponent-free in the primaries. He’s onward to the November ballot!

Next week, LGBTQ+ candidates will be on the ballot in Colorado, New York and Utah. Meet them all here!

Celebrating Juneteenth

On the 19th, LGBTQ+ candidates and elected officials around the country celebrated Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. Texas was the last state to announce the Emancipation Proclamation, despite the Civil War ending in April of that year and over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. On June 19, 1865, the still enslaved African Americans in Texas finally heard the news that they were free.

Check out updates and celebrations from Georgia State Senator Kim Jackson, Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones, Texas State Senator Molly Cook (who also celebrated with candidate for the Texas State House, Lauren Ashley Simmons), Ann Arbor Mayor Pro Tem Travis Radina, Georgia State Representative Park Cannon, and California State Senate candidate Lisa Middleton!

We are honored to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ Black candidates and support them in times of trial and times of triumph. Stand with us – donate to Victory Fund’s Black Leaders Caucus and elect a new generation of Black LGBTQ+ candidates!

QUICK HITS: The News in a Moment

NBC News spoke with LGBTQ+ students in North Carolina about their school year under the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. Read about their experiences here.

A piece of good news from the Supreme Court: they have rejected calls to restrict access to medical abortion pill mifepristone. Still no ruling on whether doctors can perform emergency abortions – that case ruling is expected soon. Read up on the state of abortion rights in the U.S. as we approach the anniversary of Roe’s overturn next Monday.

A federal judge has blocked protections for LGBTQ+ students and would have prohibited discrimination based on gender or sexuality.

Meanwhile, a different federal judge has ruled that Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care is unconstitutional!

Malcolm Kenyatta, our candidate for Pennsylvania State Auditor General, spoke with Gay City News about his historic campaign, plans for Pennsylvania and more!

Sarah McBride, running for the U.S. Congress in Delaware, is virtually assured a historic victory in November. She’s also racked up a huge slate of endorsements, including U.S. Senator Tom Carper, Governor John Carney, the leadership of the U.S. House Democratic Caucus, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Speaker of the DE House Valerie Longhurst, State Senator Marie Pinkney, and former Delaware Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry!

Exciting news for Kyra DeGruy Kennedy in her race for the Colorado State House: Jane Fonda is endorsing her campaign!