John,

As the first openly LGBTQ person elected mayor of a major American city, I know how daunting running for office can be. But trust me: there was a time when I had no idea how to run, much less win.

When I was a young lesbian activist, I never dreamed about a career in politics. I didn’t know where to start or how to put a campaign together. People kept asking me to run – telling me I should run! – and I kept turning them down. That’s a common theme we still see among our candidates and trainees – LGBTQ people still need to be asked multiple times to run for office.

I finally made the decision to run – and I lost. But I kept trying. And on my third try for office, I won! I went on to serve three terms as the councilmember, three terms as City Controller and three terms as Houston’s first out LGBTQ mayor.

You can follow that same path – hopefully without the losses. Here’s what it boils down to though: more LGBTQ people like us, who care about making changes, who care about our country, must run for office. LGBTQ people deserve – no, we NEED - equal representation in government. But to achieve parity, we must break out of our comfort zones and take the leap. We need to run for office.

This National Out to Win Day, head to outtowin.org and hear from the experts, our out elected officials, on what it’s like to be an out candidate on the campaign trail, enjoy a sneak peak of our Candidate & Campaign trainings, and much more. Or, help Victory Institute spread the word by sharing our social media toolkits. You can find graphics and recommended posts here.

Hope you’re ready to run,

Mayor Annise Parker
Pronouns: she|her|hers
President & CEO, LGBTQ Victory Institute

LGBTQ Victory Institute is a tax-exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 52-1835268.

Victory Institute is a global organization dedicated to elevating openly LGBTQ leaders who can further equality at all levels of government. Through our trainings, professional development programs and yearly conferences, Victory Institute prepares hundreds of out individuals to launch an influential careers in politics, government, business and advocacy. Many of our trainees join the more than 1,000 openly LGBTQ elected and appointed officials now serving around the world.

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