November 1, 2022
LGBTQ+ Candidates Up for Office in Every U.S. State
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Win or lose, LGBTQ+ Americans are making history in the 2022 midterm elections. For the first time, ballots in all 50 states will include out candidates, according to NBC News, despite "a spike in anti-LGBTQ legislation and a resurgence of homophobic tropes."
Among the notable out candidates profiled in an earlier NBC News article are Alaska State House candidates Jennie Armstrong and Andrew Gray, both running to become the first out lawmakers in the state; Maura Healey and Tina Kotek, both Democrats aiming to become the nation's first openly lesbian governor, Healy in Massachusetts and Kotek in Oregon; and Eric Sorenson, who, if elected by Illinois voters, would be the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from that state.
The news outlet relayed information made available from Victory Fund, which supports out LGBTQ+ political candidates at all levels of government, from school boards to state legislatures, and from governors' mansions to the U.S. Congress.
"At least 1,065 out LGBTQ people ran or are running for offices with elections in 2022, the most in history," Victory Fund said. "A history-making 63.7 percent of known LGBTQ candidates won their primaries and will appear on the ballot in November, compared to 57.1 percent of candidates in 2020 and 60.1 percent in 2018."
The information is included in the organization's Out on the Trail report. Other findings in the report:
Victory Fund President and Chief Executive Annalise Parker stated, "Voters are sick and tired of the relentless attacks lobbed against the LGBTQ community this year."
"Bigots want us to stay home and stay quiet, but their attacks are backfiring and instead have motivated a new wave of LGBTQ leaders to run for office," Parker added.
"More than 340 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy group," NBC News observed. "The proposed legislation largely consists of measures that would limit transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity, access to gender-affirming care for trans people and the instruction of topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity at school."
Among the long-discredited tropes anti-LGBTQ+ pundits and candidates have attempted to resurrect this election year is the falsehood that openly non-heterosexual and non-cisgender people present a danger to children simply by being acknowledged as existing, NBC News noted.
The news outlet detailed that "conservative lawmakers, television pundits and other public figures have accused opponents of a Florida education law – which critics have dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' law – of trying to 'groom' or 'indoctrinate' children."
"The word 'grooming' has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers."
Parker spoke to these attacks, saying, "When they tried to ban books and censor LGBTQ kids and teachers, a record number of LGBTQ people ran for school board. When they introduced a historic number of anti-LGBTQ laws in state legislatures, LGBTQ people ran for state legislatures like never before. When they tried to stall federal pro-equality legislation, we ran for Congress like never before."
There are out candidates running in both parties and in one race, for New York's 3rd Congressional District, both candidates – Democrat Robert Zimmerman and Republican George Santos – are gay men.
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.
