JUNE PRIMARIES APPROACHING

Boom or Bust in New York City

With all five LGBTQ incumbent members of the New York City Council termed out this year, some are concerned LGBTQ representation could diminish – or even disappear – next year. But we’ve endorsed 12 candidates determined to prevent that. In fact, if all 12 are elected, the council would have more LGBTQ members than any other city council or single state legislative chamber in the nation!



View all our endorsed New York City Council candidates and learn how to volunteer for their campaigns.

Also out of New York City: Council Speaker Corey Johnson, running for Comptroller, released a powerful new TV ad about his coming out story.

The New York City primaries are on June 22.

Historic Candidate Attacked as a “Sinner”

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, running for San Antonio City Council, is facing an incumbent who fired him for being gay. Now, there are pastors telling congregants that voting for Jalen is a sin – and we wouldn’t be surprised if his opponent is behind the effort. Jalen will be the first out gay Black man elected in the entire state of Texas if he wins his runoff election on June 5.

A Crowded Field in Virginia

Delegate Mark Levine is one of six Democratic primary candidates for Virginia Lieutenant Governor, but he outshined his opponents on the debate stage Tuesday night. Mark focused his stage time on gun control, saying “Virginians are nervous because it’s too easy for dangerous people to get guns.” If he wins the primary on June 8, he will be on-track to become just the second out LGBTQ lieutenant governor ever elected in the U.S.

100+ CANDIDATES ENDORSED

We just endorsed 13 more LGBTQ candidates – bringing the total number of endorsed candidates this year to 106. Help spread the word about our latest slate of candidates with a retweet.

Among the candidates is Guyleen Castriotta, who would be the first mayor of Broomfield in Colorado; Mauro Montoya, who would be the first LGBTQ Latino and first HIV-positive person elected to the Albuquerque City Council; and Rebecca Maurer, who would be the first LGBTQ woman elected to the Cleveland City Council.



See all 13 newly endorsed candidates.

REPRESENTATION IS POWER

This is why we endorse and support LGBTQ candidates. On Wednesday, LGBTQ Texas state Representative Jessica González declared victory, saying: "All anti-trans bills are dead this session!"



As anti-trans bills flooded the Texas state legislature, the LGBTQ members of the state House went into action, lobbying fellow legislators and rallying community members to defeat the bills. And they've won.

Thank you to our incredible LGBTQ state representatives for this enormous victory: Jessica González, Mary Gonzalez, Celia Israel, Ann Johnson, Julie Johnson and Erin Zwiener. 

HISTORY NOW

Activist and former RuPaul’s Drag Race star Honey Mahogany was elected chair of the San Francisco Democrats – the first time a trans person or Black person will hold the position. She also became the first out trans person to ever serve as chair of a local Democratic Party. After the vote, Honey said: “It is not lost on me how powerful it is to have a Black trans person leading the San Francisco Democratic Party.”

In another historic first, Karine Jean-Pierre became the first out LGBTQ woman and the second Black woman to lead a White House press briefing – and she was fantastic. Our sister organization, LGBTQ Victory Institute, is home to the Presidential Appointments Initiative, which works with the administration to secure LGBTQ political appointees like Karine.

CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT

Paid for by LGBTQ Victory Fund. Your contribution may be used in connection with federal, state and local elections and be subject to federal, state and local laws. Contributions to LGBTQ Victory Fund are not tax deductible. Victory Fund members do not have governance participation rights.

LGBTQ Victory Fund is the political arm of the LGBTQ community. Since our founding in 1991, we’ve supported and elected LGBTQ candidates like U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, Governors Jared Polis and Kate Brown and all nine LGBTQ members of U.S. Congress. We've boosted out candidates running for state and local government, including California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Florida Senator Shevrin Jones, Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod, Pennsylvania state Representative Brian Sims, Hawaii state Representative Adrian Tam, Oklahoma Representative Mauree Turner, and so many more (meet all of our current candidates here)! We’ve shattered rainbow ceilings in all 50 states and broken election year records. You can power our work and the next Rainbow Wave with a donation today!

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