Yesterday’s election saw the first openly gay man—and gay dad—to win a governorship, the first lesbian mom to win election to Congress, and the first person with LGBTQ parents to win state or federal office.
Jared Polis, who in 2011 became the first openly LGBTQ parent in Congress, was elected governor of Colorado, making him the first openly gay—and gay parent—governor. He and his partner Marlon are raising two kids, ages six and four.
Yesterday also saw another win, for the very first LGBTQ person and parent across the spectrum to hold a governorship. Kate Brown of Oregon, who is bisexual, came to office in a special election in 2016, and was reelected last night for a full term. Christine Hallquist, running for governor in Vermont, was the first transgender person and trans parent to win a gubernatorial primary for a major party, but ultimately lost her race.
Angie Craig won election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota’s 2nd District, making her the first lesbian mom elected to Congress. Other lesbian moms running—Lorie Burch in Texas’ 3rd District, Lauren Baer in Florida’s 18th, and Jamie McLeod-Skinner in Oregon’s 2nd—lost their races. Even if you don’t live in Minnesota, I encourage you to read the story on Craig’s website about her and her then-partner Debra Langston’s struggle to adopt in 1997, when they were living in Tennessee. Same-sex couples could not adopt jointly at the time, so only one of them could be the legal parent. Additionally, although the birth mother of the child they hoped to adopt wanted them to do so, the birth mother’s own parents tried to claim custody instead. A court battle ensued, which Craig and Langston ultimately won. Let’s hope she brings the same tenacity to Congress for her constituents.
Zach Wahls, whose video about marriage equality and his two moms went viral in 2011—twice!, and whose campaign website reminds us of it, won a seat in the Iowa State Senate, making him, as far as I’m aware, the first state or federal official with openly LGBTQ parents. I had the pleasure of being on an online chat with him way back in 2012; although I can’t claim to know him personally, it’s nice to see someone I’ve long viewed as a smart, outspoken advocate gain a new platform for (I hope) continued smart, outspoken advocacy.
This election saw new ground broken in other ways, for LGBTQ candidates who aren’t parents, for Native Americans women, Muslim women, and many others, particularly women of color. And the transgender community and its allies won big in Massachusetts, resoundingly defeating a referendum measure that sought to roll back protections for trans people.
There was disappointment for many of us, too, with close losses in a number of key states. And while Democrats gained a majority in the U.S. House, Republicans retained the Senate—and of course, the White House—meaning that it’s still going to be a contentious few years of political battles not only for legislation, but for what seems like the heart and soul of our nation.
I’ll have more coverage to come about the many LGBTQ parents in state races. As usual, I’m focusing on LGBTQ parents (and their children) because that’s my beat. There are plenty of other sites that look at the LGBTQ community more broadly. It’s not that parents necessarily make better candidates—but many can offer us useful examples of balancing both family and service, and may also help more people to see LGBTQ parents and our children as part of the fabric of our nation.
Congratulations to all of the winners. To those who didn’t win, I say please keep trying, either for elected office or to make positive changes for your communities in some other way. May we all work together for our families and our country.
