Three Stories You Should Know About

1. TWO RACES LEFT TO WIN IN ATLANTA AND NEW ORLEANS

 

Liliana Bakhtiari and Mariah Moore both have elections coming up! Mariah’s primary election is this Saturday, November 13th. She and her team of volunteers are actively canvassing New Orleans to secure her spot on the city council. Big Easy Magazine also offered a glowing review of Mariah’s race, calling her the “clear unapologetically progressive candidate in this race.” Mariah will be the first transgender elected official in Louisiana!

Liliana advanced to a runoff in her race for the Atlanta City Council, District 5. Her race takes place November 30th! On election night, Liliana received 49.5% of the vote, just hundreds of votes away from winning outright. Liliana will be the first out LGBTQ Muslim to hold office in Georgia!

2. SEAN MELOY ANNOUNCES HISTORIC RUN

On Monday, LGBTQ Victory Fund’s Vice President of Political Programs Sean Meloy announced he will run for the U.S. Congress in a potentially history-making race where he could become the first out LGBTQ U.S. representative from Pennsylvania.

Meloy will run for the state’s 17th congressional district, an open seat vacated by U.S. Representative Conor Lamb earlier this year. The swing district seat is considered a key hold for pro-equality forces in 2022. View his announcement video here!



Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about the announcement: “There is no bigger advocate for Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities than Sean, who invests enormous amounts of time and resources to building up the Democratic party and its candidates throughout the state. Not driven by ideology or absolutism, Sean is a leader who prizes progressive pragmatism and believes a government that reflects the diversity of America will perform best for its people. He’s helped many of our LGBTQ members of Congress win tough races in key swing districts, so it is fitting he is now on-track to do the same in Pennsylvania.”

Sean is not yet endorsed by Victory Fund and will follow the same endorsement process and need to meet the same criteria as other LGBTQ candidates.

3. Tammy Baldwin Award and Global Trailblazer Award Winners Announced!

First elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2014 when he was only 21, Speaker Ryan Fecteau is now the first out LGBTQ speaker of the Maine House and the youngest presiding officer in America. A longtime advocate for pro-equality legislation, Speaker Fecteau successfully banned conversion therapy in the state. His other legislative priorities include expanding affordable housing options, championing career and technical education opportunities, and pushing for solutions to Maine’s childcare challenges. He recently shared his own coming out story in the Bangor Daily News.



Guatemalan Congressman Aldo Dávila was first elected in 2019, making history as the first out gay man and first HIV-positive person elected to the body. During his time in office, he stood up to the nation’s health ministry, insisting COVID-19 prevention campaigns include outreach to indigenous populations and others living without internet access. He’s also one of the most high-profile champions of LGBTQ equality in the country. In response to his advocacy, Congressman Dávila is a target for anti-LGBTQ Congresspeople, and was the victim of a robbery attempt and multiple death threats. Prior to serving in the legislature, he was the executive director of a Guatemala City-based HIV and AIDS service organization and is a former Victory Institute trainee.



You can watch both winners receive their awards at the International LGBTQ Leaders Conference on December 1-4. Register today to join us live or try our new virtual registration rate!

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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

30th Anniversary Gala

For the last 30 years, Victory Fund has powered rainbow wave after rainbow wave, electing LGBTQ candidates up and down the ballot who have gone on to make huge changes in their community. Come celebrate LGBTQ political power and raise a glass to progress at Victory Fund’s 30th Anniversary Gala, Saturday, December 4, 2021 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET!

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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