The US election is still underway after a close race for the next President, but voters have helped five LGBTQ+ politicians break some major records.

Sarah McBride has become the first transgender state senator in US history, winning a federal seat for the Democrats in Delaware.

“I’m humbled by the support of my neighbours and ready to work every day to make a difference in the lives of all the residents of the First Senate District,” McBride said.

“I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too.”

McBride will be joined in Congress by Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres, the first LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx lawmakers to represent their communities in Washington DC.

“Tonight, a new era begins for the South Bronx,” Torres said of his win.

“It is the honour of a lifetime to represent a borough filled with essential workers who risked their lives so that New York City could live.”

“My pledge to the district is simple: I will fight for you. The Bronx is my home, it is what made me who I am, and it is what I will fight for in Congress.”

On a state level, more barriers have been broken for LGBTQ+ representatives and BIPOC, with Jabari Brisport taking the first seat held by a gay Black man in New York state.

Mauree Turner will be one of the first non-binary folks to sit in a US state legislature, and the first Muslim to win a seat in Oklahoma’s state House.

Stay tuned for more updates on the ongoing US election.

OIP Staff

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