Georgia Elects Nation’s First Openly Lesbian African-American State Lawmaker
December 3, 2009
Georgia voters on Tuesday made history and elected Simone Bell to the state’s House of Representatives, making her the nation’s first openly lesbian African-American state lawmaker. Bell, who won the run-off election against Asha Jackson, will become the second LGBT congressperson in Georgia’s legislature, following Representative Karla Drenner also of Atlanta, according to the Victory Fund, a PAC that helps fund political campaigns of lesbian and gay candidates.
In an interview with EDGE, Chuck Wolfe, president and chief executive officer of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, said: “For more than 20 years, Simone has worked as an activist and advocate in Atlanta and across the south,” reported the Victory Fund, which endorsed Bell. “”This is a tremendous victory for LGBT Georgians,” he said. “Simone is a longtime leader in her community, and she will be a huge asset in the Georgia State House.”
According to the Associated Press: With all precincts reporting, Bell received 56 percent of the vote to Jackson’s 44 percent.
Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality issued a statement saying: “We are so proud of Simone Bell’s accomplishment. Even with all the odds stacked against her, she rolled up her sleeves and did the work of reaching out to voters in her district through an impressive grassroots effort. Having known and worked with Simone for over a decade, I know that she will be the sort of leader who will make all of Georgia proud.”
In an interview with The Sidney Morning Herald, Graham said: “I cannot recall a mayor’s race when there’s been so much attention placed on the gay and lesbian vote.”
“What is perhaps one of the most exciting outcomes of these campaigns is the fact that so many new LGBT activists of color, especially transgender individuals, became so involved in the canvassing, phonebanking and organizing that is needed for electoral victories such as these. Engaging and enabling new segments of our community to be involved in this work gives us all great hope for the future of our efforts to advance fairness, equality and safety for our community in the years to come.”
Atlanta voters also elected Alex Wan to its city council, making him the first Asian American and first openly gay man to hold that post.
Related Posts:The ‘Pulse of Equality’
December 3, 2008
Today, GLAAD released a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive in the wake of the passage of and protests against California’s Proposition 8.
The survey reveals that majorities of Americans favor a broad range of policies and legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
Laura Light, Vice President of Public Relations Research for Harris Interactive had this to say about the results:
In the Pulse of Equality survey, we observed a positive relationship between knowing a gay or transgender person and one’s attitudes toward them and the policy issues that affect their lives. Based on other surveys we have conducted on attitudes toward LGBT people and issues, the results of this survey suggest that public sentiment in the U.S. is trending toward greater acceptance of gay- and transgender-related policy issues.
Here are the survey’s key findings:
- Three-quarters of U.S. adults (75%) favor either marriage or domestic partnerships/civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. Only about two in 10 (22%) say gay and lesbian couples should have no legal recognition. (Gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in two states, and comprehensive civil union or domestic partnership laws exist in only five others and the District of Columbia.)
- U.S. adults are now about evenly divided on whether they support allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry (47% favor to 49% oppose).
- Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults favor allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces. (The current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law bans military service by openly gay personnel.)
- About six in 10 (63%) U.S. adults favor expanding hate crime laws to cover gay and transgender people. (Hate crimes laws cover gay and transgender people in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and an additional – 20 states’ laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
- A slight majority of U.S. adults (51%) favor protecting gay and transgender people under existing laws that prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. (Existing non-discrimination laws cover gay and transgender people in only 12 states and the District of Columbia, and eight other states’ laws cover sexual orientation but not gender identity.)
- Nearly seven out of 10 U.S. adults (69%) oppose laws that would ban qualified gay and lesbian couples from adopting children. (In several states, gay and lesbian couples are banned from adopting.)
Commenting on the survey results, GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano had this to say:
The visibility of the past several years, and the intense conversations of the past few weeks, seem to have galvanized a majority of Americans’ support of equality for gay and transgender Americans.
While this expression of support is encouraging, particularly after the setbacks we experienced on Election Day, it’s not something we can rest on. There is a lot of work to be done. We must all do what we can to sustain and expand this emerging wave of grassroots activism so that it leads to laws and policies that extend full equality under the law to all Americans – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight.
Giuliano also suggested that one of the crucial issues facing LGBT people is that many Americans aren’t aware of the injustices that they face:
Majorities of Americans clearly favor equality for gay and transgender people,” Giuliano added, “but we’ve seen that too many still mistakenly believe that the intolerance and injustices we face are things of the past. So it’s more vital than ever that we tell our stories, illustrate the injustices we face, and remind people of the common ground we share.
To read all the survey results, you can click here.
Sign in and leave your thoughts and comments about the survey – start a conversation!
Media Keeping Up With Prop 8 Protests
November 18, 2008
During this extremely active time in the LGBT community, people have been voicing their opinions in record numbers across the country about the anti-gay ballot measures that passed in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas and the media is taking note.
This past weekend brought a great amount of coverage, as protests occurred across the country. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, protests were organized in all 50 states on Saturday, as well as cities in Canada, England and Australia.
From Friday through Sunday, CNN alone presented at least nine segments discussing the post-Proposition 8 environment.
On Friday, November 14th, guest-host Joy Behar interviewed high-profile guests during a broadcast of Larry King Live dedicated to the aftermath of the passage of Prop 8. In addition to live broadcasts of Prop 8 protests, Behar interviewed Cynthia Nixon, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Dan Savage and anti-gay pastors Reverend Jim Garlow and Bishop Harry Jackson.
On Saturday, November 15th, CNN covered the Prop 8 related protests and issues surrounding the protests throughout the day, with multiple segments on CNN Newsroom and a segment on CNN Saturday Morning.
We have been monitoring the coverage very closely and released a set of guidelines last week to assist news leaders in reporting fairly and accurately on the flux of protests being organized. The overall coverage surrounding the Prop 8 related protests this past weekend was predominantly fair and GLAAD will continue to assist the media to assure that it stays that way.
New York Times Documents Transgender Disenfranchisement
November 17, 2008
We had posted earlier on how transgender people were being alluded to, but not directly mentioned, in national media coverage on voter disenfranchisement. Well, on Election Day, The New York Times spotlighted this often-disenfranchised and overlooked voting bloc on their blog The City Room.
The post, ”Fighting for the rights of Transgender Voters” by Corey Kilgannon, marked the first mainstream media mention of the disenfranchisement often experienced by transgender voters.
Some transgender advocates, such as Helen Boyd, noted that the piece focused more on the appearances of the voters than on the discrimination they faced. However, the article was promoted on the web site of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund where they stated:
“Articles like this, which inform the public about the day-to-day difficulties that transgender people face, have the power to change hearts and minds.”
The Rev. Louis Braxton, director of Carmen’s Place, a group home for gay teenagers and young adults in Astoria, Queens, talks about the recent incident involving teenagers who attacked him. (Photo: Ruby Washington/The New York Times)
Kilgannon interviewed Michael Silverman, Executive Director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund on the issues facing the “ten of thousands” of transgender New Yorkers at the polls. He also interviewed the Director of Carmen’s Place, Father Louis Braxton, and transgender voter Michelle Carver.
From an earlier initiative to organize transgender voters as a visible political bloc to this latest article, transgender voters have seen themselves reflected in media coverage more than ever during this election cycle. Kudos to The New York Times for covering this important issue.
Record-Breaking Number of LGBT Candidates Elected
November 14, 2008
While the LGBT community and its allies are disheartened by ballot results in Arkansas, Arizona, California and Florida, a look at this election’s nationwide results of elected LGBT officials give us much to be hopeful about.
In a record-breaking election, more than 70 percent of the openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates running for public offices across the country were elected on Tuesday. The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund endorsed a total of 111 candidates in this cycle.
Chuck Wolfe, President and CEO of the Victory Fund, released the following statement:
“This was a watershed election. Our government became more representative and our democracy became stronger. As we near the 30th anniversary of the death of Harvey Milk, it’s enormously gratifying to see his dream realized in so many brave men and women heeding the call to run for office, and doing so openly, honestly and unafraid”
Among the winners:
- Jared Polis of Colorado became the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Congress as a non-incumbent. Polis joins Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, both reelected, as the only openly LGBT Members of Congress.
- Kate Brown of Oregon became the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the U.S.
- Jason Bartlett of Connecticut became the second openly gay African-American state legislator in the nation as he was reelected to the Connecticut State House.
- John Perez became the first openly gay person of color elected to the California Assembly.
- Kevin Beckner won a seat on the Hillsborough County Commission in Florida as the first openly gay man to be elected in the county.
- Rebecca Kaplan became the first openly gay woman elected to the Oakland, California City Council.
You can see a full list of LGBT candidates and winners by visiting: http://www.victoryfund.org/election_scorecard.
Media Examine Democratic Convention and Republican Platform
August 28, 2008
With the Democratic Convention underway in Denver, and the Republican Platform being drafted in preparation for their convention starting September 1 in Minneapolis, media outlets are addressing how LGBT issues are fitting into the big political picture. At the Democratic Convention, leaders are weighing in on LGBT issues, while gay Republican advocates are speaking out in the media about their party’s platform.
The other night, Sen. Ted Kennedy, in his surprise opening night address in Denver, said that Obama would “close the book on the old politics of race and gender, and group against group, and straight against gay,” while last night Sen. Hillary Clinton said in her speech that she ran for President to “fight for an America defined by deep and meaningful equality — from civil rights to labor rights, from women’s rights to gay rights, from ending discrimination to promoting unionization [...]”
Though both speeches have been widely broadcast and picked up in mainstream media outlets, other conversations about LGBT issues have mostly garnered traction only in LGBT media outlets and blogs. DNC Secretary Alice Germond highlighted the importance of LGBT Democrats in her remarks, and openly gay Rep. Tammy Baldwin continues to talk about the historic measures for equality present in the party platform she helped draft. And yesterday, Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance and speech at the Human Rights Campaign/The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund luncheon for LGBT delegates hosted by Rep. Barney Frank (more on that on Towleroad and Pam’s House Blend).
Rep. Frank has been speaking with LGBT media outlets, including 365gay.com, about what changes LGBT voters can expect from Democrats this year. Frank said that if Democrats pick up 15 seats in the House, they could pass a transgender inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Frank also talked about Americans attitudes around marriage, saying he believes that “we are moving towards a majority in favor of same-sex marriage.” More interviews with Rep. Frank can be found in The Boston Herald and again on Towleroad.
Meanwhile, the Log Cabin Republicans have spoken out amid their party’s development of its platform, which is expected to include a recommendation for a constitutional ban on gay marriage (check out The Associated Press for more coverage).
Scott Tucker, of the Log Cabin Republicans, commented on the platform and his group’s acceptance of its limited appeals to LGBT voters, saying that this year they are “more interested in substance over symbolism” and that despite the platform, they believe McCain to be an “inclusive candidate who understands that our party needs to reach out to all Americans to win this election.”
In the coming weeks we’ll continue to examine how the issues are being discussed both in mainstream and LGBT media during the Democratic National Convention and in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention next week.
Tammy Baldwin Comments on Democratic Platform’s Promises to LGBT Community
August 14, 2008
I’ve been blogging about the Democratic Party Platform that is being drafted and will be officially released at the Democratic Convention later this month. There were concerns about the vague language used to describe issues that affect the LGBT community, and reports that the National Stonewall Democrats would be helping the Democratic Party to improve the platform. Now we have a better picture of what the final Democratic Platform may look like. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the openly gay Congresswoman who is heading Barack Obama’s LGBT steering team, weighed in with her views of the document, which she helped put together as a member of the 15 person drafting committee.
Baldwin called the platform a “historic document in terms of LGBT equality” while discussing her work on the platform with reporters. She verified that it will call for a repeal of the controversial “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that restricts gay and lesbian service members from serving openly in the military. Baldwin also addressed concerns over the language of the document, saying that the committee made conscious word choices that would make the clearest policy statements.
The inclusion of an LGBT leader from Congress on the drafting committee of the platform is noteworthy, as are her statements on the historic nature of the platform for LGBT equality. Hopefully major media outlets will start reporting on how the platform relates to and is received by LGBT Democrats. We are all keeping our eyes peeled as new information breaks about what to expect from the Democratic Platform as we draw closer to its final release at the convention.
Cindi Creager is Director of National News.
