LGBTQ Victory Fund candidates Christian Manuel-Hayes and Venton Jones won the elections for Texas state House Districts 22 and 100, respectively. Both Manuel-Hayes and Jones are now the first Black out LGBTQ men ever elected to the Texas state legislature. Also tonight, Jolanda Jones won reelection for Texas state House District 147. Jones made history earlier this year when she won the special election for House District 147 and became the first Black out LGBTQ person ever elected to the state legislature. A record number of LGBTQ people ran for state legislatures this year.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement:
“Bigots like Greg Abbott emboldened a wave of anti-LGBTQ hate this year – but their hate has fueled LGBTQ people to step up and run for office like never before. Christian, Venton and Jolanda shattered these lavender ceilings because of their deep policy experience and exceptional ground game. They’ve never backed down when our rights are on the line and we are confident they’ll channel this courage and compassion in Austin. For far too long, Black and LGBTQ Texans have lacked equitable representation. Tonight, we are taking a meaningful step forward.”
There are currently just seven out LGBTQ state lawmakers in the Texas state legislature, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute.
Victory Fund is tracking Election Night results at victoryfund.org/2022.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
LGBTQ Victory Fund candidates Erin Maye Quade and Clare Oumou Verbeten won the elections for Florida’s 56th and 66th state Senate Districts. With these historic victories, both are now the first out LGBTQ women and first Black women ever elected to the Minnesota state Senate. A record number of LGBTQ people ran for the Minnesota state legislature this year, all 11 of whom won their elections tonight. With these historic wins, LGBTQ representation has more than doubled in the state legislature and tripled in the state Senate.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement:
“Minnesota saw a Rainbow Wave of state legislative candidates this year because it is crystal clear that the future of abortion rights, LGBTQ equality and so much more will be decided in state legislatures in the coming months. Erin and Clare have the deep policy experience and grassroots support to be effective leaders in Saint Paul. Voters were clearly excited by their vision for a more equitable and inclusive society. With relentless efforts to diminish our community’s political power, it’s never been more important to elect pro-equality, pro-choice leaders. Tonight, Minnesota voters delivered.”
There are currently just five out LGBTQ state legislators in Minnesota, none of whom are Black women, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute. To reach equitable representation, the U.S. must elect 346 more out LGBTQ people to state legislatures.
Victory Fund is tracking Election Night results at victoryfund.org/2022.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Zoeey Zephyr won the election for Montana’s 100th state House District. With this historic victory, she is now the first out trans person ever elected to the Montana state legislature. SJ Howell, running for Montana’s 95th state House District, would be the first nonbinary person elected to the Montana state legislature; SJ’s race has not yet been called. A record number of trans and nonbinary candidates ran for office in the 2022 midterm elections.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement:
“Tonight is a resounding win for Montana and for trans people across the country. From tackling the housing crisis to securing affordable health care, Zooey is ready to enact policy founded in equity and fairness. Montana, like so many other communities, has seen a deluge of transphobia and bigotry this year. Zooey courageously ran despite this divisiveness and her win is a deafening rebuke to hate. We are confident she will be a skilled, powerful legislator and an inspiration for trans people across the country.”
There are currently just eight out trans state legislators in the entire country, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute. There are currently only six out LGBTQ elected officials in Montana.
Victory Fund is tracking Election Night results at victoryfund.org/2022.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Eric Sorensen won the election for Illinois’ 17th Congressional District. With this historic victory, Sorensen is now the first out LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from Illinois. A record number of LGBTQ people ran for Congress this year.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement:
“Eric shattered a rainbow ceiling and it could not come at a more important moment – when LGBTQ equality and abortion rights are on the chopping block in ever corner of the nation, including in Congress. Eric spent the last two decades keeping his local community safe by telling the truth and promoting a data-first approach to policy. His success tonight is a testament to the grassroots support he energized, as well as a highly effective ground game focused on candid conversations about how to make our government work better for all Americans. Eric’s pro-equality and pro-choice leadership will be critical to the future of our fundamental rights and freedoms.”
There are currently just 11 out LGBTQ people serving in Congress. To reach equitable representation, voters must elect 21 more LGBTQ people to the U.S. House of Representatives and five more LGBTQ people to the U.S. Senate, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute.
Victory Fund is tracking Election Night results at victoryfund.org/2022.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Erick Russell won the election for Connecticut state Treasurer. With this victory, he is now the first Black out LGBTQ person ever elected to statewide office in U.S. history. A record number of Black out LGBTQ candidates ran for public office this year.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement:
“For far too long, people of color and the LGBTQ community have lacked equitable representation in government. Erick shattered this lavender ceiling and made history because voters trust him to usher in a new chapter for Connecticut and our nation, one founded in inclusion and compassion. His deep policy experience and grassroots support will make him an exceptional state executive. Not only is his win a sharp rebuke of the current wave of homophobia and racism plaguing our country, it’s a moment of inspiration for our community that our political future is brighter than ever.”
There are currently just 115 Black out LGBTQ elected officials serving in the U.S., none of whom serve in statewide positions, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute.
Victory Fund is tracking election results at victoryfund.org/2022.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
The trial over Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for trans children recently began. As vulnerable children await to hear if their bodily autonomy will be stripped away, we should remember that cisgender children seek gender-affirming care with relatively little social stigma attached.
Twenty years ago, in rural Maine, I was one of them.
As a teen boy who identified as a boy — randomly sprouting breasts really, really sucked. I hated my body, wore a shirt in the pool, dreaded the school locker room, dressed in layers and walked hunched over to hide my shape.
When I was going through puberty, my body’s hormones were firing in every direction, and I started developing breast tissue similar to a girl’s. The technical term for this condition is gynecomastia, but most of us know it as the dreaded “man-boobs.” Up to 60% of teen boys have asymptomatic gynecomastia, according to the National Institutes of Health. Adolescent symptomatic cases, like mine, are less prevalent, but it affects about 65% of adult men.
As a teen boy who identified as a boy — randomly sprouting breasts really, really sucked. I hated my body, wore a shirt in the pool, dreaded the school locker room, dressed in layers and walked hunched over to hide my shape. I lived in constant fear of nipple-grabbers at school (teen boys are weird) and being outed as a “boob-haver.” I was uncomfortable and embarrassed 24/7 and had about zero percent confidence in myself, all because of the misalignment between how I felt I should look and how I actually looked.
When I confided in my conservative dad about what was happening, I was about 15. He saw how much this was holding me back, and we immediately went to a plastic surgeon for a consultation. A quick procedure and a few weeks of wearing an ace bandage later, I was flat-chested and finally had a body that looked like mine.
Trans children deserve the same consideration.
The next year was the best year of my life up to that point. I felt great. I felt confident. I made a ton of new friends, decided to get in shape, played a sport, put gel in my hair, started dating, partied — all the good stuff. For the first time, I felt and acted like an average teen instead of just barely participating out of aggressive discomfort and fear. I went from a guy who hated being seen to the most seen guy at school in no time.
Over the years, I’ve had medical procedures that saved my body, but my breast reduction saved my mind. Receiving care that affirmed my perceptions of my gender drastically changed my life for the better. I can attest that having mind-body alignment feels like a superpower.
The care that I received is just one small example of the gender-affirming care that cisgender folks receive regularly. We just call it “health care.” I got breast-tissue reduction surgery, but breast augmentation for cisgender women to conform to a perception of womanhood is even more common. Cisgender people alter their eyes, noses, lips, faces, hairlines, facial hair, body hair, height and even the nether regions to more closely align with our culture’s ideals of “the perfect man” or “the perfect woman.”
We frequently change or “enhance” our bodies hormonally, too. Kids have been dosed with human growth hormone since the ‘60s to make them taller, and men looking to achieve a cartoonish level of “manliness” get testosterone pumped into their veins. Hormone replacement therapy is commonplace for cis-women and menlooking to maintain or enhance their vitality in ways that align with their gender identities and gender ideals.
The care that I received is just one small example of the gender-affirming care that cisgender folks receive regularly. We just call it “health care.”
But I don’t see the care that affirms cisgender norms, expectations and functions, including for children, being questioned to the same extent as transgender care. By contrast, even the most basic of trans care — respecting gender identity and expression, puberty blockers and hormone therapy — is scrutinized endlessly and demonized to the point of being life-threatening for patients and doctors alike.
The double standard is glaring. And a recent viral interview between Jon Stewart and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge about her state’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth points to a large part of the problem. Without being able to name a credible source, Rutledge claimed that 98% of youth with gender dysphoria would grow out of it. To which Stewart replied, “Wow, that’s an incredibly made-up figure.”
This idea of elected officials stripping away the autonomy of parents and children to make the kinds of medical decisions that would be best for them is appalling. As Stewart pointed out to Rutledge, the state is not even allowing parents to weigh their options based on the guidelines of the country’s top medical organizations.
We should think more deeply and compassionately about those seeking health care in the trans community as they suffer mind-body misalignment that many of us can’t even imagine. Having a little empathy is a good thing, and for those of us who get to bathe in the privilege of doing whatever the hell we want to our bodies, it’s probably even our responsibility.
Some folks may disagree that the care I received was gender-affirming, and I’ll admit I’m not an expert on health care — cis, trans or otherwise — but I am an expert on me, what I did and why I did it. For me, it was straightforward: I’m a dude, I was born a dude, I want to be a dude, and having breasts didn’t align with that for me. They needed to go for me to live a fuller life.
Some may also argue that societal pressures and expectations influenced my choices, and to that, I don’t necessarily disagree. Who knows, if breasts on a guy were the pinnacle of manliness in 2002, I might have rocked it, but surgery is a lot faster than turning the Titanic of culture, and I would have missed some of the best years of my life waiting.
Here’s what I know for sure, had I been trans and seeking the same surgery, there’s a good chance it wouldn’t have been as easy as it was for me — 20 years ago in rural Maine or today.
LGBTQ Victory Fund candidates Jennie Armstrong and Andrew Gray won their elections for Alaska’s 16th and 20th state House Districts. Armstrong is the first out LGBTQ woman and Gray is the first out LGBTQ man ever elected to the Alaska state legislature. Alaska is one of just four U.S. states with zero LGBTQ state lawmakers, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute. A record number of LGBTQ people ran for state legislatures this year.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement:
“It is no coincidence that in the wake of a historic wave of anti-LGBTQ laws introduced in state legislatures across the country – including in Alaska – a record number of LGBTQ candidates are running for state legislatures. Alaskans are ready for the change Jennifer and Andrew will bring to Juneau because they know the status quo is not working. In the coming months, state legislatures will determine the future of marriage equality and abortion rights. We are confident pro-equality, pro-choice leaders like Jennie and Andrew will fight tooth and nail on behalf of our community.”
Ashley Carrick, running for Alaska’s 35th House District, is on track to win her election.
To reach equitable representation, the U.S. must elect 346 more out LGBTQ people to state legislatures, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute.
Victory Fund is tracking election results at victoryfund.org/2022.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu said in private talks on Friday that “There will be no harm to pride parades nor to the status-quo on LGBTQ rights,” following statements made by lawmakers from the Religious Zionism slate that they intend to work to cancel pride parades around the country.
Sources in Likud said Thursday the party intends to cancel measures by the outgoing government promoting LGBTQ rights, although it remains unclear what reforms could be targeted.
No decision has been made on which decisions could be walked back, but a reversal of the health ministry’s order banning “conversion” therapy, removing insurance coverage for gender-affirming healthcare, and reimposing a ban preventing gay men from donating blood are all under consideration.
MK Avi Maoz, head of the anti-LGBT Noam faction which ran as part of Religious Zionism, told Army Radio that his party would “investigate canceling the pride parade from a legal point of view.”
Noam burst onto the political scene in 2019 with a series of provocative highway billboards and video ads with the slogan “Israel chooses to be normal.” It merged into Religious Zionism, alongside Otzma Yehudit, under intense pressure from Netanyahu before the 2021 election.
The far-right Religious Zionism slate soared to 14 seats in the November 1 election and is expected to be a crucial partner in a governing coalition led by Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu.
Tuesday, LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate James Roesener won the election for New Hampshire’s 22nd state House District, Ward 8. With this historic victory, he is now the first out trans man elected to any state legislature in U.S. history. A record number of trans candidatesran for office in the 2022 midterm elections.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement:
“Tonight is a resounding win for New Hampshire and for trans people across the country, with James shattering a lavender ceiling and proving that America is ready for trans men leaders in our state legislatures. From safeguarding reproductive rights to increasing investment in New Hampshire’s education and health care systems, James is well prepared to enact legislation that will deliver lasting results for his community. At a time of intensifying transphobia at all levels of government and society, he showed incredible courage throughout his historic campaign. Trans people – and trans men in particular – remain severely underrepresented in government at every level, but we are confident his win will inspire many more trans people to run for office.”
There are currently just eight out trans state legislators in the entire country, none of whom are trans men, according to LGBTQ Victory Institute. There are currently just six out trans men serving in elected office.
Victory Fund is tracking Election Night results at victoryfund.org/2022.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
