LGBTQ elected officials are on the rise!
A new study says that we are seeing growing incidences of openly LGTBQ politicians and representatives taking office in the United States of America. This study comes from the LGBTQ Victory Institute, which is dedicated to supporting LGBTQ politicians and LGBTQ policymaking. One way that the Victory Institute supports LGBTQ politics is by releasing an annual Out for America Report.
“LGBTQ Victory Institute is pleased to present you with the 2020 Out for America report – our annual analysis of LGBTQ elected representation in the United States,” said President and CEO Annise Parker. “While LGBTQ people are running for office in historic numbers, we remain severely underrepresented at every level of government – and that must change. We know that when LGBTQ people are in elected office and in the halls of power, they change the hearts and minds of their colleagues and it leads to more inclusive legislation. Enjoy exploring the current state of LGBTQ representation in the United States and I hope you join us in our efforts to build a pipeline of LGBTQ leaders who will change our nation for the better.”
This year’s report found that there are 843 openly LGBTQ elected representatives in the U.S. Plus, there was a 40 percent increase in trans women elected officials since 2019 and most dramatically, a 71 percent increase in queer elected officials and a 35 percent increase in LGBTQ mayors from 2019. Splitting these people up by racial demographics, 77 percent of representatives are White, then 10 percent are Hispanic/Latino, 6 percent are Black, 2 percent are Asian/Pacific Islanders, and less than 1 percent are either Native American or Middle Eastern.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. First, there’s the disproportional amount of white LGBTQ politicians within the pool reported above. In addition, the LGBTQ Victory Fund shared that we need 22,544 more openly LGBTQ people in office to reach equal representation in the U.S. That’s not all. The current sexual orientation and gender identity of the reported politicians are largely gay (54.33%) and Cis-gendered men (56.97) or cis-gendered women (37.47%).
So, it seems we have come a long way. But, we still have much more to go.
Source: the LGBTQ Victory Institute
