Government
In 2017, LGBTQ Progress Was Built on Local Elections
It was the “year of the trans candidate” in the U.S., and generally a victorious year for LGBTQ politicians in city and state elections. But we are a long way away from proportional representation.
Before Jenny Durkan was elected mayor of Seattle in November, there had only been two other openly lesbian mayors of major U.S. cities in history: former Houston Mayor Annise Parker—who was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of any major American city—and Jackie Biskupski, the current mayor of Salt Lake City.
“For Jenny Durkan to be elected as an openly lesbian woman in Seattle is a huge win for our community,” said Elliot Imse, Director of Communications at Victory Fund, an organization that endorses LGBTQ candidates. “2017 was a great year for LGBTQ candidates. We really broke down a lot of barriers across the nation...and positioned the LGBTQ community to be better represented in 2018 and beyond.”