CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH Mondaire Jones Made history in 2020 as one of the first Black gay men ever elected to the U.S. Congress! Ritchie Torres In 2020, Ritchie was elected as the first out Afro-Latinx LGBTQ member of Congress! Mary Washington The first out LGTBQ person elected to the Maryland State Senate in 2018! Simone Bell Served in Georgia’s House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015, the first Black lesbian to serve in any U.S. state legislature. Pat Spearman Made history in 2012 as the first out lesbian member of the Nevada legislature! Gabriel Acevero Became in the first openly gay Afro-Latino and one of the youngest members elected to the Maryland General Assembly in 2018! Andrea Jenkins The first out transgender Black women ever elected to public office in the U.S. and the first out trans person to serve as city council president!

John,

Happy Black History Month! This month, we'll be highlighting the phenomenal Black LGBTQ leaders who paved the way. But there's still so much history to make. Today, there are just 100 out LGBTQ Black officials in the entire country. Black people and LGBTQ people continue to feel the consequences of this underrepresentation in policies and legislation that target our communities.

But we are working to move us forward. In 2022, Victory Institute will train a diverse pipeline of LGBTQ leaders to run for office and pursue careers in public service. We are continuing to push for more LGBTQ Black appointees to the Biden administration and supporting the next generation of LGBTQ Black leaders through our internship and fellowship programs.

There is much work to do, but we are in it together. Thank you to all the Black LGBTQ elected and appointed officials who are leading the way.

Happy Black History Month,

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.

LGBTQ Victory Institute is a global organization dedicated to elevating openly LGBTQ leaders who can further equality at all levels of government. Through our international and domestic training programs, 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. You can power our work and the next Rainbow Wave with a donation today!

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