November 4, 2020
Mauree Turner First Non-Binary State Lawmaker in U.S. History
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Mauree Turner won their race for a seat in the Oklahoma state house, becoming the first openly non-binary state lawmaker to be elected to state office in the U.S. Turner won the seat for Oklahoma's District 88.
Turner is also the first Muslim to be elected to Oklahoma's state legislature, The Huffington Post reports.
Turner defeated GOP opponent Kelly Barlean for the seat.
"Y'all I can honestly say I never expected this when we started out," Turner, 27, posted at their campaign's Facebook page. "I have a lot of feelings about tonight. But overall, I'm grateful for HD88 granting me this opportunity," Turner added.
Victory Fund, which supported Turner's campaign, announced Turner's win in a press release. "Currently there are just four out genderqueer or non-binary-identified elected officials serving in the entire country," the Victory Fund release noted. "There are currently just five openly LGBTQ elected officials serving in all Oklahoma."
The candidate's bio at the Victory Fund website says, "Mauree is a Black, Queer, Muslim, Femme from Oklahoma," and adds, "House District 88 is one of Oklahoma's most progressive places to live in Oklahoma, which is why Mauree understands the person holding this seat should be driving conversation about what equitable policy looks like in action, as well as creating community-based solutions for issues until they can fix them in the legislature."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
