As we head into Election Day, most everyone is focused on the presidential race. While the face-off between Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is (obviously) incredibly important, state and local elections also carry an enormous impact. In this election cycle, we actually have more than 500 openly LGBTQ candidates on ballots across the nation, according to the Victory Fund. To put that number into perspective, in 2018, more than 400 openly LGBTQ candidates were on the ballot, and more than 200 were actually elected. That’s pretty amazing, and going into 2020, the increase in visibility is truly inspiring.
Daily Kos has covered a number of openly LGBTQ elected officials, including Rep. Sharice Davids, who is both the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Kansas on the federal level, as well as the first Native American woman elected to Congress, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado, the first openly gay governor of the state, and Danica Roem’s historic election to the Virginia House of Delegates. While every single time an openly LGBTQ person runs for office is a victory in itself, it’s meaningful to give an extra moment of consideration to the more than 20 openly transgender and non-binary candidates in the race. Let’s check out some in the running below.
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Let’s start with a handful of people who are currently incumbents. Lisa Bunker, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives; Brianna Titone, a member of the Colorado House of Representatives; and Gerri Cannon, also in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, are all up for reelection. Even if you’re outside of Colorado, you may find Titone’s name familiar, as she was recently subject to targeted anti-LGBTQ campaign ads.
And for openly queer candidates who are not incumbents? First, we have Louise Snodgrass. Snodgrass, who is in the running for the South Dakota state house, is aspiring to become the first openly genderqueer person elected to a state legislature. No, not just the first in South Dakota—the first in the entire country.
In addition, we have a number of openly transgender state legislature candidates who are not incumbents. Stephanie Byers is in the running in Kansas, where, if she wins, she would also be the first openly transgender person of color elected to a state legislature. And yes, similarly to Snodgrass, that’s not just elected to the state legislature in Kansas, but in the entire country. Taylor Small of Vermont, Jessica Katzenmeyer of Wisconsin, and Madeline Eden of Texas are all running to become the first openly transgender state legislators in their respective states.
Eden talked to Outsmart Magazine about her campaign back in September, saying, “A majority of the time, people just don’t know someone like me.” She continued, telling the outlet, “When I came out, I caught grief for it, but never tried to hide it. When people got to know me, they often changed their minds.”
Small talked to Vice in an interview about her race, noting that most of Vermont’s (and the nation overall’s) legislature is white, cisgender, and male. What advice does she have for marginalized people who are wondering if they can, or should, run? As she tells the outlet, “So for marginalized folks, we always run into that question of, if I can do this thing, am I able to do it? And the answer is: Yes, you are, and your community will be there to support you.”
For the Delaware state Senate, we have Sarah McBride. If McBride wins, she would be the first openly transgender state senator in the nation. Earlier this year, McBride spoke to LGBTQ Nation about her run, saying that when she grew up “there were certainly no examples of someone like me participating publicly, let alone having a seat at the table in a leadership capacity. Piece by piece, I was able to see just how wrong that understandable fear was.”
In Arkansas, if Evelyn Rios Stafford becomes a justice of the peace in her district, she would become the first openly transgender person to hold elected office in the entire state. While justice of the peace in a district does not immediately have the flashy connotation of the presidential race, these races are important. For constituents, of course, but also for the LGBTQ people who continue facing barriers and systemic oppression across this country.
Why? Because as we have covered, openly trans people face additional barriers in everything from housing, to jobs, to health care. Even as minors, transgender youth are more likely to face harassment, bullying, and less likely to finish high school with a diploma. Every single LGBTQ person in the race is an inspiration, but because transgender and genderqueer people are so consistently marginalized, their efforts certainly deserve an extra nod and explicit, proud support.