Five Stories You Should Know About
1. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Dead in Georgia (for now)
Moments after the Florida state legislature passed the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’, sending it to the governor for his signature, other anti-equality state legislators introduced similar bills in their own states.
A bill introduced in Georgia included the line: “that such a focus on racial and gender identity and its resulting discrimination on the basis of color, race, ethnicity, and national origin is destructive to the fabric of American society.”
While this bill failed to receive a vote in the Georgia Senate, more are being introduced. Louisiana, which is one of the few states to have never elected an LGBTQ state representative, has introduced their own version of the bill.
Watch state Senator Kim Jackson, the first out LGBTQ person elected to the Georgia state Senate, speak in defense of trans women and girls here. And congratulations to Kim for officially qualifying to be on the ballot once again!
2. Kris Mayes Releases Campaign Video
Game Changer candidate Kris Mayes, running for Arizona Attorney General, released a campaign video highlighting her experience and priorities. If elected, Kris would be the first out LGTBQ attorney general in Arizona’s history.
From climate change to the right to choose protecting the vote, Kris covers a lot of ground in this campaign video, which features community leaders, students, and her family.
She is already acting on the promise to protect voting rights by filing a brief to the state’s Supreme Court which challenges a lawsuit which would ban mail in and early voting in Arizona.
3. Good News from Pennsylvania: Our Candidates Are on the Ballot
Filing day has come and gone in Pennsylvania, and there’s good news from our Game Changer candidates. Malcolm Kenyatta, running for the U.S. Senate, Brian Sims, running for Lt. Governor, and Sean Meloy, running for the U.S. Congress, will all appear on the May primary ballot!
Malcolm was the first candidate in Pennsylvania to submit the necessary signatures to qualify for the ballot in February, a sure sign of his continued momentum and support. Malcolm will make history as the first out gay man ever elected to the United States Senate!
Sean, who also announced an endorsement from U.S. Congressman Mike Doyle, officially qualified for the ballot on Tuesday. When elected, Sean will be the first out LGBTQ Congressperson from PA!
Brian previously qualified for the ballot and has spent his time since crisscrossing the state and meeting with potential voters. He recently checked in with the Easttown Township Democratic Committee, the Beaver County Democratic Committee, and the Centre County Democratic Committee among others.
4. New Report: Are LGBTQ Candidates Electable in Swing Districts? Duh.
Hard to believe, we know: some folks labor under the illusion that LGBTQ candidates are too ‘controversial’ to win in swing districts.
A new report from Third Way examined the evidence showing that LGBTQ candidates CAN win in swing districts - and almost half of the sitting LGBTQ members of Congress hail from swing districts themselves. Read the full report here!
Game changer candidates Sean Meloy and Daniel Hernández, running for the U.S. Congress in Arizona, are just two Victory Fund endorsed candidates striving to put this myth to rest. They spoke with The Advocate about their campaigns and plans to flip their districts. Check out the full interview here.
5. Ron Galperin for California State Controller
Just announced! We’re endorsing Ron Galperin for California State Controller. Ron currently serves as the Los Angeles City Controller and is the first out LGBTQ person ever elected citywide in Los Angeles history.
Ron has earned Game Changer endorsement status, given to history-making candidates at the congressional and statewide level. He will be just the second out LGBTQ person serving statewide in California.
