Phew, it's been a long 24 hours, and a lot of us are feeling the myriad of emotions that have come with the 2020 Presidential Election.
With no winner announced yet, and Biden and Trump still in a close race, it's hard to say that we are experiencing the blue wave we saw in 2018.
However, we have seen a major rainbow wave spread across the country as so many LGBTQ+ candidates have won their state and local elections. Here is a list of all the historic wins for the LGBTQ+ community last night.
Delaware:
Sarah McBride becomes the first transgender woman in history to hold the office of State Senator in Delaware. The thirty-year-old LGBTQ+ activist holds the highest ranking government position in transgender history.
Florida:
Michele Raynor-Goolsby becomes the first openly queer, Black, woman to hold the office of State Legislator in Florida.
Shevrin Jones is Florida's first openly queer State Senator.
Georgia:
Kim Jackson defeats her Republican opponent William Freeman, and becomes Georgia's first openly LGBTQ+ State Senator.
Sam Park is re-elected to his 101st district State Legislator seat. In 2016 he was the first openly gay man to be elected to the Georgia State Legislator. Park is just one of the country's two Asian-American State Legislators.
Kansas:
Stephanie Byers is Kansas's first out, transgender, Native American, woman, to hold a seat in the Kansas State House of Representatives.
Rep. Sharice Davids wins her re-election and continues to be the first openly LGBTQ+, Native American, woman to represent Kansas's 3rd district in Congress.
Yard signs don't vote, but digital billboards along Wichita's most traversed roadway... pic.twitter.com/ARxanpG3Cg
— Stephanie Byers (@ByersForKansas) November 1, 2020
New York:
Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres win their races for New York's 17th and 15th congressional districts. Jones becomes the country's first openly LGBTQ+, Black, congressmen. Torres becomes the nation's first openly LGBTQ+ Afro-Latino to serve in Congress. Jabari Brisport, wins his seat for New York's 25th district and becomes the first LGBTQ+ person of color elected to New York's state legislature.
Tennessee:
Torrey Harris and Eddie Mannis win their Tennessee State House races, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ people elected to the Tennessee State Legislature.
Vermont:
Taylor Small becomes the first openly transgender member of Vermont's State Legislature.
