Victory in the News

Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund formally endorses Parker in Houston, Hightower in Arlington

Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Arlington City Council challenger Chris Hightower were among eight openly LGBT candidates who received formal endorsements from the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund today.

Parker was elected to a two-year term in 2009, making Houston the largest U.S. city with an openly LGBT mayor. Hightower is vying to become the first openly gay council member in Arlington’s history.

The Victory Fund has now endorsed 14 candidates in 2011, including three in Texas. Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns was the first candidate to receive the group’s backing this year.

From GayPolitics.com:

“We are proud to support Mayor Parker. Her success in Houston is proof of the remarkable talent and leadership LGBT Americans have to offer their communities as public servants,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

Parker welcomed the Victory Fund’s backing.

“I am grateful for the early and strong support of the Victory Fund. The Victory Fund is more than just a force for LGBT equality – it educates and equips qualified candidates to excel in public service for the benefit of all whom they represent. I will use the Victory Fund’s support to run a campaign that reaches out to every Houstonian and asks each one to join us in protecting and enhancing what is best about the city we share,” said Parker.

East Point’s Rhodes picks up early endorsements

Two-term gay politician Lance Rhodes made it clear nearly a year before voters head to the polls: He wants a third term. Now, he’s collecting early endorsements from LGBT political groups.

On Monday, Rhodes said that he’s picked up nods from Georgia Equality and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund as he steams toward a third term on the East Point City Council as its Ward B representative. Rhodes announced his re-election effort in December, nearly 11 months before the election in the Atlanta suburb.

“In a world defined by difference, our strength depends on our common humanity,” Rhodes said in announcing the endorsements. “During my two terms in office, East Point citizens have demonstrated vision and a steadfast resolve to support equal rights within the LGBT community. We have seen a range of actions from the adoption of Domestic Partner Benefits to the inclusion of the LGBT community in our City Charter. Georgia Equality’s mission to build a fair majority has provided the foundation necessary to realize the dream of the LGBT community to receive equal and fair opportunity. Thank you Georgia Equality and Victory Fund for providing the resources necessary to support East Point in becoming a star for the LGBT community in Georgia. Your continued endorsement is the corner stone of our success.”

Rhodes’ tenure on council has included history-making steps for LGBT equality: Council colleagues made him the first openly gay man to serve as mayor pro tem earlier this year, he helped to successfully lobby the council to expand the city’s nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity in December 2009, and in 2005, he led successful efforts to offer domestic partner benefits to city employees

In September, Rhodes was named a grand marshal of the Atlanta Pride parade.

But this year as tensions heightened between Mayor Earnestine Pittman and the council, Rhodes charged that she abused her power in soliciting contributions through her monthly newsletter paid for by taxpayer funds and filed an ethics complaint.

In October, Rhodes filed a complaint with the East Point Police Department alleging a terroristic threat was made against him after a heated city council meeting.

The full endorsement from the Victory Fund:

Lance Rhodes has been active in his East Point community since first establishing his residency there. He began his service early on by serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission. In addition, he served on the Finance and Budget Committees and Pension Board.

During his tenure on the East Point Council, Mr. Rhodes received the high honor of the elected official of the month award from a leading Georgia civil rights organization, Georgia Equality. Mr. Rhodes was the first recipient of this award that has historically been reserved for national and state representatives. In addition to being a member of Georgia Equality, Councilman Rhodes is a member of the Human Rights Campaign and a member of Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.

The Victory Fund is proud to endorse Mr. Rhodes a third time for a seat on the East Point City Council.

Life as the "first lad"

The couple started dating soon after they met and around 2006, Polis expressed an interest in running for Congress. Both he and Reis understood that campaigning as an openly gay man would have consequences, especially when it came to messaging. "If he was elected, he didn't want to be known as a gay legislator, as his interests are immigration and education," said Reis.

The two worked with the Victory Fund, a nonprofit that helps LGBT leaders campaign for public office. "They prepared us for the media frenzy that would happen after his coming out. I think after being on the phone with them [Jared] realized it wouldn't be such a big deal," said Reis. Though the couple was ready for the worst, Reis recalled only two negative letters sent to Polis while he was running. Polis beat his opponent, Republican Scott Starin, with a healthy 62 percent of the vote.

Why Obama’s Appointment of ‘Damn Lesbian’ Roberta Achtenberg to the Civil Rights Commission is Important

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, President Obama appointed Achtenberg to the US Commission on Civil Rights with barely a mention from the mainstream press and plaudits from the LGBT media. Achtenberg was one of three LGBT appointments and nominations announced by the White House yesterday. The Victory Fund notes that the Obama administration now has made 159 appointments in the president’s first two years in office, compared to about 140 during Clinton’s two terms in office.

The difference in the reception towards LGBT appointees between 1993 and 2011 is remarkable.

That is not to say that hate groups such as the Family Research Council and Townhall.com columnists such as Alan Sears aren’t still rankled that LGBT people like Chai Feldblum, Obama’s recess appointee to the Equal Opportunity Commission, are elevated to positions of power, arguing that gays will try to impose the “homosexual agenda” on democracy, which Sears sees as a threat to American liberty. But while the culture war rhetoric over abortion rights has seriously ticked up, mainstream antigay hate speech seems to have become more marginalized – even Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain was criticized during the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell debate for suggesting that allowing open service by gays would cause military deaths.

But in 1993, even the idea of Boxer and Achtenberg together was anathema to the coddled hyper-antigay late North Carolina Republican Sen. Jesse Helms. During her 1992 senate campaign, Boxer, who is 4-foot-11 inches tall, would joke about standing up to the 6 foot tall Helms. And asked by The Washington Times why he wouldn’t vote for Achtenberg, Helms snapped, “Because she’s a damn lesbian.”  Later Helms added that she was “a militant, activist, mean lesbian.”

Helms and fellow Republican Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott organized a campaign of hate against Achtenberg – not just

Sen. Jesse Helms Photo from Wikipedia

her confirmation – but Achtenberg as a person, dragging her then-partner Judge Mary Morgan and their child into the public fight. Interestingly, Republican Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas expressed concern that Helms’ rhetoric would paint the GOP as the party of intolerance – though Dole, even then the presumptive GOP presidential nominee in 1996, made no effort to temper other harbingers of hate such as California Reps. Bill Dannemeyer and Bob Dornan who joined the chorus of religious hate mongers such as Rev. Jerry Falwell in saying AIDS was God’s “punishment” for homosexuality.

For two days, Achtenberg endured ugly debate in the media and on the Senate floor. Her confirmation was considered a test: though mostly closeted gays virtually ran the Capitol behind the scenes and Clinton elevated gay visibility during an excruciatingly dark and deadly time, many LGBTs questioned whether they would want to put themselves through that process just as the still relatively new national Victory Fund was encouraging LGBTs to run as political candidates.

“I am not going to put a lesbian into a position like that,” Helms said. Other conservatives attacked Achtenberg for her work as San Francisco Supervisor in denying funding to the United Way because they supported the explicitly antigay Boy Scouts. “We’re not talking about some youth gang, the Bloods and the Crips,” Dole said. “We’re talking about the Boy Scouts!”

“Ms. Achtenberg is worse than intolerant,” said Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch. “By using her position to attack the Boy Scouts, she brought the power of government to bear against a private association because that private association does not mirror her beliefs about what is good and true and just.”

Sen. Barbara Boxer Photo by Karen Ocamb

Boxer was almost beside herself: “It’s not about qualifications, it’s about a private life style,” Boxer said. “I say

America is better than that.”

”Call it gay-bashing if you want to. I don’t call it that. I call it standing up for America’s traditional family values,” an emotional Helms said on the Senate floor.

”We are crossing the threshold into the first time in the history of America that a homosexual or a lesbian has been nominated by a president of the United States to a top job in the U.S. government.”

On May 24, 1993, the Senate approved Achtenberg’s confirmation on a 58-31 vote, with five Southern Democrats joining the 26 Republicans. However, 13 Republicans joined the 45 Democrats in voting yes. One of those Democrats was Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sam Nunn of Georgia, the man most responsible for scuttling Clinton’s effort to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military and the subsequent “compromise” of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.  Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell was seen whispering to Nunn before the vote.

“Roberta Achtenberg has broken down a wall and made it possible for future nominees to be judged on the merits” instead of prejudice, Gregory King, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign Fund, told the Los Angeles Times. HRCF and the gay community contributed at least $3 million to Clinton’s election campaign, which Helms claimed was extortion for the nomination.

“No doubt we should show tolerance and respect for those among us who are gay,” said Dole, who voted against Achtenberg. “But showing tolerance and respect should not force us to embrace an ideological agenda most Americans do not accept.”

“The real issue,” California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein told the LA Times, is whether “the United States Senate should vote down a nomination without regard to a candidate’s overwhelming qualifications simply because she is gay.”

Two months later, Boxer told National Women’s Political Caucus that the confirmation experience was “as ugly as it gets on the floor of the United States Senate. . . . You could feel the politics of hate and fear and divisiveness.” Boxer wagged her finger, imitating Helms who warned, “this vote will be remembered.” Boxer said, “It will be remembered, because we stood up. We stood up–and we won!”

Achtenberg served for two years before leaving for an unsuccessful run for San Francisco mayor. While at HUD, she made some improvements for LGBTs but she was ultimately unable to end housing discrimination against LGBTs.

“The major goal of the Fair Housing Enforcement Effort at HUD was to re-invigorate a bureaucracy that had been so depleted and demoralized because of 20 years of a lack of civil rights enforcement of any kind. My job was a very different job,” she told the San Francisco Weekly in 2009.  Additionally, the George W. Bush Administration “willfully” did a lot of damage to the HUD’s civil rights enforcement. “They essentially eviscerated the fair housing enforcement division. As people retired they didn’t fill jobs. They froze appropriations at the 1990 levels — and didn’t even ask Congress for increased amounts of money despite increased prevalence of racial and ethnic-based housing discrimination. They didn’t pursue one fair-lending case related to the subprime mortage debaucle.”

But “times have changed,” she said. “I do think the Obama administration might indeed be amenable to issuing an executive order to prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in federally financed housing.”

Last Thursday, Jan. 20, HUD proposed new regulations that finally prohibit LGBT discrimination in housing. Additionally, HUD is conducting the first-ever national study of discrimination against LGBTs in the rental and sale of housing.

“This is a fundamental issue of fairness,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a press release.  “We have a responsibility to make certain that public programs are open to all Americans.  With this proposed rule, we will make clear that a person’s eligibility for federal housing programs is, and should be, based on their need and not on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The Victory Fund’s Gay Politics blog reports that the Civil Rights Commission is an 8-member, independent federal body “that investigates, reports on and makes recommendations concerning civil rights issues.  Achtenberg, who was an early advisor to the LGBT community’s ongoing Presidential Appointments Project, is believed to be the first openly LGBT commissioner appointed to the panel.  She also currently serves on the board of trustees for the California State University.”

Achtenberg’s appointment is significant for several reasons, not the least of which because she is once again an LGBT “first” on the Civil Rights Commission.  She is a person who knows first hand what antigay hatred feels like, regardless of one’s station in life.  Surely she will handle this appointment as more than an intellectual exercise.

Achtenberg’s appointment also shows the clear, unrelenting through-line in antigay political attitudes – some of the same rhetoric is being used today, against the backdrop of a change in public opinion about LGBT equality.

But perhaps most importantly, Achtenberg and this appointment profoundly illustrate that it does get better – that merit can triumph over ignorant bias. And, for those of us too afraid to leave a hard-won job to pursue a dream – only to fade from public view if the dream doesn’t come true – Achtenberg’s return to the federal stage goes to show that significant second acts are possible in a lifetime of service.

A week before the Super Bowl, gay candidate kicks off City Council bid in host city Arlington

A week before Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, openly gay Realtor Chris Hightower is set to kick off his campaign for the District 5 seat on the City Council.

According to the Washington, D.C.-based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which has endorsed Hightower, he would be the first openly gay city councilmember in Arlington’s history.

Hightower is an Arlington native who is the son of former Democratic State Rep. Paula Pierson. He lives with his partner in the historic “azalea house” at Park Row and Davis, according to his campaign website:

“I am running for City Council because I love Arlington,” Hightower writes. “From the classrooms of my childhood to the elected offices of today, I have witnessed firsthand what good can come from the hard work of those who care about our hometown. They have made this city into the place that I love. Now, it is time for my generation to step forward and provide leadership for our city’s future just as the generations before us have. It is my hope that children living in Arlington today choose to stay here and raise their families — not because they see the great things I saw in our city while I was growing up, but because they saw something even better.”

Hightower is trying to unseat District 5 incumbent Lana Wolff, who is seeking a fifth term on the council. Other candidates expected to run in District 5 include attorney Terry Meza and UTA student Christopher McCain.

According to his Facebook page, Hightower will host a kickoff party at 7 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 29 at 2316 Woodsong Trail in Arlington.

He becomes the second candidate from Texas endorsed by the Victory Fund this year, joining Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns, who’s seeking re-election to his District 9 seat.

The other known openly gay candidate in North Texas is James Nowlin, who plans to run for the District 14 seat on the Dallas City Council if incumbent Angela Hunt steps down to run for mayor.

Whites, men dominate new Ohio governor's Cabinet

Denis Dison, vice president of the national Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which promotes diversity of sexual orientation in public office, said the issue is not tokenism.

"You often hear, 'I'm going to search for the most qualified candidates.' If your contention is that the best qualified people were all white and mostly male, then you haven't looked too hard," he said. "Picking the friends-of-friends, the contemporaries from schools, is dangerous because you create this sort of cadre of yes-men in an echo chamber, people who have only had one set of experiences."

Nichols strongly disagreed with Dison, noting that Kasich has made history with some of his choices, including women who are his chief of staff and running mate, as well as the appointment of the state's first female adjutant general to oversee the Ohio National Guard. The chairman of Kasich's inaugural is also gay.

"I reject the question," Nichols said. "We have a lot of women in the cabinet and the show over here, in terms of our chief of staff. No echo chamber here."

So How Anti-Gay IS the GOP These Days? :: Reading the Tea Leaves

Homophobia is still more permissible in politics than anti-Semitism or racismn, however, at least according to Denis Dison, vice president of external affairs at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

"You don’t see Fox News or CNN inviting white supremacists on the air to provide regular political commentary, but they often invite the leaders of viciously anti-LGBT groups like the Family Research Council to talk about employment non-discrimination, marriage, the military ban, etc," Dison said. "Frank Rich wrote a column in which he said homophobia was still at most a misdemeanor in Washington. I think that’s right."

The article Dison referred to criticized the Smithsonian’s decision to pull a segment of David Wojnarowicz’s "A Fire in My Belly" from an exhibit at The National Portrait Gallery.

The film, an expression of Wojnarowicz’s grief and fury over the death of his former lover and mentor from AIDS, received little attention until William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, an organization many consider a one-man band.

Congress gets 4th openly gay member

Cicilline earned the endorsement of many national LGBT organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

“This is an historic day for LGBT Americans, and another step toward a government that truly reflects our country’s diversity,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

Congress gets 4th openly gay member

Cicilline earned the endorsement of many national LGBT organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

“This is an historic day for LGBT Americans, and another step toward a government that truly reflects our country’s diversity,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

Atkins, Gleason head Victory Fund

Two San Diegans were recently elected to the board of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, one of the nation’s largest political action committees.

Susan Atkins is the new chair of the organization and Robert Gleason was elected vice-chair.

“I am honored to lead the Victory Fund as it celebrates its 20th anniversary and enters its third decade working to grow the number of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elected officials in government,” said Atkins, who has worked from more than 20 year in communications management in life sciences and technology. She is the first woman to chair the Victory Fund board since it restructured in 2006.

Gleason is currently the chief financial officer and general counsel of Evans Hotels, which owns and operates commercial properties and resorts, including The Lodge at Torrey Pines as well as the Bahia Resort Hotel and Catamaran Resort Hotel.

For more information on the Victory Fund visit www.victoryfund.org.

The political context of the next gay rights fight and Mayor Sam Adams

In 2008, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund helped get Adams elected mayor. His campaign reported receiving $29,400 in cash and in-kind contributions from the fund, which accounted for about 8 percent of Adams’ contributions that year. That race made Adams the first openly gay leader of a major U.S. city.

Victory Fund Supports Fort Worth's Burns

The Victory Fund has made its first endorsement for 2011 — getting behind the reelection effort of Joel Burns, the gay Fort Worth city councilman who in October made an impassioned speech in council chambers on LGBT youth suicides.

Burns's speech has been watched 2.5 million times, and the Victory Fund — which works to elect LGBT candidates to political office — says he has become a role model because of it. The councilman is running for reelection next year to represent the Texas city's District 9.

"Joel represents what the Victory Fund is all about — making sure LGBT voices are represented in government, and making sure we are heard," Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, said in a press release.

Daily Business Report — Dec. 10, 2010

San Diegans Susan Atkins and Robert Gleason have been elected to leadership positions in the national Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, an organization that works to increase the number of openly LGBT elected officials in the country. Atkins was elected chair and Gleason vice chair. Atkins, a member of the Victory Fund board since 2004, has 20 years of communications management experience in life sciences and technology. In 1999, she founded one of the most successful agencies in the United States providing investor and public relations exclusively to life science companies and organizations, and sold the firm to Porter Novelli in 2005. Atkins becomes the first woman to chair the Victory Fund board since it restructured in 2006. Gleason is the chief financial officer and general counsel of Evans Hotels, which owns and operates commercial properties and resorts, including The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla as well as the Bahia Resort Hotel and Catamaran Resort Hotel, both on Mission Bay.  The Victory Fund board also elected Steve Elmendorf of Washington, D.C., as secretary, and Harvey Hurdle of Philadelphia as treasurer.  Frank Selvaggi of New York, N.Y., was also elected to serve on the Victory Fund board.

Your daily dose of Joel Burns

Ever since his “It Gets Better” speech, it seems not a day (or even an hour) goes by that we don’t hear something new about openly gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns. Today’s news comes from GayPolitics.com, which reports that Burns is the Victory Fund’s first endorsed candidate for 2011.

His powerful October speech about the suicides of young gay people, delivered in the chambers of the Fort Worth City Council, has been viewed nearly 2.5 million times on YouTube, prompting media outlets from across the country (and the world) to seek interviews to discuss the issue of anti-LGBT bullying.

Councilman Joel Burns has become a hero to LGBT youth who so desperately need role models — people who are successful and respected, but who are also open and honest about being gay.

Now Burns is also the first 2011 candidate to earn the Victory Fund’s endorsement. He’s running for re-election to represent District 9 on the Fort Worth City Council, and the Victory Fund is out to make sure he wins.

“Joel represents what the Victory Fund is all about — making sure LGBT voices are represented in government, and making sure we are heard,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

San Diegans to lead national gay & lesbian political organizatiion

Two San Diegans were elected to the top posts of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which bills itself as one of the largest political action committees in the nation.

Susan Atkins, a longtime communications expert, was selected as chair, the organization announced Thursday.

Robert Gleason, an executive with Evans Hotels, was named vice chair.

“I am honored to lead the Victory Fund as it celebrates its 20th anniversary and enters its third decade working to grow the number of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elected officials in government," Atkins said in a statement released by the political action committee.

"Helping to elect the LGBT people who fight for equal rights for all every day, the Victory Fund is engaged in a mission that’s focused and effective. Our win rate was 65% this year. That's phenomenal. Now more than ever it will be important for leaders from our community to be heard, and I look forward to leading the national organization that’s making that happen.”

The organization's release says Atkins has 20 years of communications management experience in life sciences and technology. In 1999, she founded an agency that provided investor and public relations exclusively to life science companies and organizations, and sold the firm to Porter Novelli in 2005. Atkins becomes the first woman to chair the Victory Fund board since it restructured in 2006.

The Victory Fund board also elected Steve Elmendorf of Washington, D.C., as secretary, and Harvey Hurdle of Philadelphia as treasurer. Frank Selvaggi of New York, N.Y., was also elected to serve on the Victory Fund board.

In 2010, the Victory Fund endorsed 164 candidates for public office, and 107 won their elections.

Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference

Openly LGBT leaders in politics, government and non-profit work met for the 26th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference of the Victory Fund in Washington throughout the weekend. On Thursday the conference began with a reception with featured speakers including Victory Fund President and CEO Chuck Wolfe, incoming Victory Fund Board Chair Brandon Hernandez and D.C. City Councilman David Catania.

Marriage Equality Coming to Maryland?

Out Maryland state senator Richard Madaleno said he is “guardedly optimistic” that the state legislature will pass a marriage equality bill in early 2011.

In an interview with Gay Politics, Madaleno put chances in the “six, seven eight range” on a scale of one to 10 for the bill's passage in the next 90-day session from January to mid-April of next year.

“His optimism stems from a number of developments on Election Day 2010, some of which ran absolutely counter to national trends,” reported Gay Politics. "In the Maryland Senate, Democrats actually expanded their majority to a 35-12

advantage over Republicans. And some Democrats who lost their seats did so in primary fights with more progressive challengers, many of whom vowed to be even stronger champions for marriage equality.”

Maryland also increased its number of out gay lawmakers from four to seven.
Madaleno said he felt confident the senate could pass a vote, but it was more difficult to predict the outcome in the House of Delegates. Governor Martin O’Malley has promised to sign a bill if it reaches his desk.

Woman becomes nation's 1st transgender trial judge

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund has said she is the first openly transgender trial court judge in the country.

Kolakowski spent the past three years as an administrative law judge settling energy contract and environmental compliance disputes for the California Public Utilities Commission. She underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1981.

Victory Fund: State Legislatures Void of Openly Gay Republicans

There will be zero openly gay Republicans serving in state legislatures this January, according to the Victory Fund:

Among the nearly 4,000 Republican state lawmakers expected to serve across the U.S. come this January, none will be openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.  The development marks the first time in years that an openly LGBT voice will be absent from Republican politics at the state level.

“Unfortunately our endorsed GOP candidates for 2010 lost elections for state legislative positions in Nevada and Michigan, and the three sitting openly gay Republican state senators – in California, Massachusetts and Minnesota – are leaving office at the end of this year,” said James Dozier, deputy political director at the Victory Fund.

2010 Out 100 Portfolio

As the president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute, Chuck Wolfe oversees the organization’s identification, training, and support of LGBT political candidates, campaign staff, and public officials, including the 164 candidates the fund endorsed in 2010. “We know out elected officials can be a leading political indicator of real change,” he says. “ So it’s exciting to see so many candidates stepping up to run for office this year.”

Lexington to become third-largest U.S. city with an openly-gay mayor

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based group that endorses and supports openly gay candidates, had named Lexington's contest among the "Ten Races to Watch" across the country.

Denis Dison, vice-president of the Victory Fund, compared Gray to Annise Parker, another openly gay candidate whose election as mayor of Houston, Texas, in 2009 surprised many people.

"But she was very pro-business and pro-development," Dison said. "A lot of people would think of gay candidates as being left of center and that's not always the case. In Gray's case he's a businessman and he runs a large and successful company, and that would give business leaders more comfort."

Unlike the Lexington mayor's race, Parker's campaign was marked by anti-gay fliers around Houston.

"The fact that did not materialize in Lexington is a real credit to Mayor Newberry and to the community at large," Dison said.

The Victory Fund endorsed 164 openly gay candidates in Tuesday's election, and a record 106 of them were elected.

Dison said about 30 cities across the country, most of them small, have openly gay mayors.

Congress will now have four open gay or lesbian members

The Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to nurturing and electing qualified LGBT candidates, pointed to other elections around the nation to claim a record number of gay and lesbian candidates winning office.

Kevin Lembo, for instance, won his race to become the Connecticut state comptroller, putting him among the few gay people elected to statewide office in the nation.

Laurie Jinkins of Washington, Marcus Brandon of North Carolina, Patricia Todd in Alabama, Kathy Webb and Jack Jackson, Jr. of Arizona, Ricardo Lara in California, Lucia Guzman in Colorado, Simone Bell and Karla Drenner in Georgia,  Matt McCoy in Iowa,  Stan Rosenberg and Carl Sciortino of Massachusetts, and Heather Mizeur and Mary Washington of Maryland all won races for their states’ legislatures, as did Scott Dibble in Minnesota, Jeanette Mott Oxford and Michael Colona of Missouri, Diana Sands of Montana, Frank Ferri, Gordon Fox and Deb Ruggiero in Rhode Island, Jason Lorber and Suzi Wizowaty of Vermont and Cathy Connolly in Wyoming.

Those are in addition to Nickie Antonio, Ohio’s first out state legislator, and other local officials elected across the nation.

None of the Republicans endorsed by the Victory Fund for state legislative races were successful.

Midterms a Mixed Bag for LGBT Equality

From the House of Representatives to Lexington, Kentucky, which just elected its first gay mayor, one of the most prominent groups tied to the victory of LGBT candidates is The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. This nonpartisan, federal, political, action committee funds, trains and promotes candidates for public office through donations, its Leadership Institute and a fellowship program. By focusing on politics through the endorsement and promotion of LGBT candidates, the fund seeks to gain equality for all LGBT people regardless of political affiliation.

In fact, since its 1991 founding, the fund's web site reads, "the number of openly LGBT elected officials serving in the U.S. has grown from 49 to more than 500." And the fund has backed many of them.

This campaign season, it backed a record 164 LGBT candidates, including Democrat, Republican and nonpartisan candidates - and saw a record 106 succeed. No Republican Congressional or state legislator backed by the fund, however, won election, according to Denis Dison, the fund's spokesperson.

Of its successes, the fund's CEO Chuck Wolfe said in a statement, "We can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America. Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality. Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America's politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone."

Gays Win Seats, but See House GOP Landslide as a Setback

The steps forward, he said, included the addition of the fourth openly gay member of Congress, Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline, who will fill the seat vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy. Numerous local anti-discrimination ordinances passed, and according to a nationwide count by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, 106 gay candidates won public offices.

Democrats Outrun by a 2-Year G.O.P. Comeback Plan

In early October, Chuck Wolfe, the chief executive of the Victory Fund and Leadership Institute, a group that supports gay candidates, offered some startling news to the campaign of Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who represented what had for years been considered a reliably safe district.

Mr. Wolfe had been at a Capitol Hill restaurant the evening before and overheard a Republican advertising strategist discussing his new assignment, to attack Mr. Frank with an expected budget of $1 million and a strategy to “piss him off, because you know how Barney gets.” Mr. Wolfe said afterward, “That anybody thought Barney could be vulnerable in his district seemed surprising.” Mr. Frank survived.

Others were not so lucky.

Alameda County voters elect country's first transgender judge

Yet the congratulatory calls were already coming in and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which helped Kolakowski raise money for her campaign, featured her on a call with its major donors Wednesday.

Her campaign had attracted national attention, with the mainstream media playing up the history-making potential of her campaign. But Kolakowski said voters paid little attention to her transgender status and were more focused on her resume.

Gay-rights groups view election as major setback

In California's Alameda County, Victoria Kolakowski was elected a Superior Court judge; the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund said she is the first openly transgender trial court judge in America.

"There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress," said Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe. "But we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America."

Election Results: LGBT Leadership Orgs Need To Be Asking, “What Now?”

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund today announced that more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history.

Victory Fund President and CEO Chuck Wolfe issued the following statement about the group’s success:

“There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress, but we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America. Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality.  Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America’s politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone.  We will continue to focus on training committed, qualified candidates, and we will work hard to get them elected to public office.”

Record 106 gay candidates elected in 2010

A record number of openly LGBT candidates have been elected to public office in 2010, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

“There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress, but we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. “Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality. Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America’s politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone. We will continue to focus on training committed, qualified candidates, and we will work hard to get them elected to public office.”

At least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning, the Victory Fund said.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise came in Lexington, Kentucky, where openly gay construction company executive Jim Gray won election as mayor. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the news shortly after the polls closed at 6 p.m. Gray has been serving as the city’s vice mayor and defeated incumbent mayor Jim Newberry.

The paper said the campaign has been one of the most expensive in the city’s history and only the second time a sitting mayor has been defeated. The ballot in Lexington does not indicate party affiliation. According to results published by the Herald-Leader, Gray won with 53 percent of the vote, to Mayor Jim Newberry’s 46 percent. The Herald-Leader noted that Gray lost a bid for mayor in 2002, when his sexual orientation was not public. Gray came out before running successfully for an at-large seat on the Urban County Council.

In another southern state, North Carolina, openly gay candidate Marcus Brandon of High Point won his first-time run for state representative and, in doing so, becomes the state’s first openly gay legislator. According to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Brandon also becomes only the fifth openly gay African-American elected to a state legislature anywhere in the country. As of 10:30 Tuesday night, three hours after polls closed, the state Board of Elections showed Brandon with 70 percent of the vote, compared to Republican Lonnie Wilson. The race was to represent North Carolina’s District 60, which encompasses Guilford County in the middle of the state. Brandon told the News-Record newspaper of Greensboro that his sexual orientation was not a secret but that “This is not something I wanted to take over my campaign.”

“Nobody in a year-and-a-half ever asked me about my sexuality,” Brandon said, in an Oct. 15 blog by an editorial writer in which the paper noted his race was one of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund’s “Ten Races to Watch” this year.

Most LGBT Candidates Elected ever in 2010

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund  today announced that more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history.

At least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning, including Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline (pictured), who will become the fourth openly gay Member of Congress when the House convenes in January.

Victory Fund President and CEO Chuck Wolfe issued the following statement about the group’s success:

“There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress, but we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America. Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality.  Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America’s politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone.  We will continue to focus on training committed, qualified candidates, and we will work hard to get them elected to public office.”

Important 2010 election results include:

–David Cicilline’s election to Congress.  The Providence, R.I. mayor will be the fourth openly gay member of the U.S. House of Representatives, joining Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank and Jared Polis, who each won reelection.

–Jim Gray’s election as mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, the state’s second-largest city.

–Nickie Antonio’s election to the Ohio House.  Antonio will be the first openly LGBT person to serve in the state legislature.

–Marcus Brandon’s election to the North Carolina House.  Brandon will be the state’s only openly gay state legislator and one of just five out African Americans to serve as state lawmakers.

–Victoria Kolakowski’s election as a Superior Court judge in Alameda County.  Kolakowski becomes the first openly transgender judge in America.

–Kevin Lembo’s election as Connecticut State Comptroller.  Lembo joins just a handful of openly LGBT candidates to have been elected to statewide positions.

–Laurie Jinkins’ election to the Washington State House.  Jinkins is Washington’s first openly lesbian state legislator, and could help her gay colleagues pass a marriage equality bill in the next legislative session.

–Maryland’s and California’s expanded LGBT state legislative caucuses.  Each will include seven openly gay and lesbian lawmakers.  In Maryland, the caucus is poised to help pass marriage equality legislation, which the reelected Gov. Martin O’Malley has vowed to sign.

–Dan Hill’s loss in his Nevada House race.  The Victory Fund’s endorsed Republican candidates for state legislative seats were not successful, meaning no openly LGBT Republicans will be serving as state lawmakers next year.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT elected officials at all levels of government in the U.S.  It has grown that number from 49 to more than 500 since its founding in 1991.  A full 2010 Election Scorecard will soon be available at www.victoryfund.org.

Lexington's New Mayor

The Victory Fund, which first noted his success, included  a statement from Chuck Wolfe, its president and CEO, who said in the statement, "This is a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community and for fairness. We are proud of Jim Gray and his fantastic campaign staff who fought hard for this win."

First Gay Winner of the Night

The first openly gay candidate to win an election Tuesday is Sen. Benjamin Cruz of Guam.

Cruz, a Democrat and the vice speaker of the Guam senate, was the author of Guam's contested civil union bill in 2009. He was formerly the chief justice of the Guam supreme court.

Cruz is not a Victory Fund candidate, but the group tweeted his victory early Wednesday morning Guam time (Guam is 14 hours ahead of Washington, D.C.).

Rep. Barney Frank Cruises to Victory, Cicilline to Join Him in Congress

The Victory Fund's president and CEO, Chuck Wolfe, celebrated Frank's victory, announcing  in a statement, "Barney Frank is nothing if not a fighter, and we're very happy he will return to the House and continue to fight for the people of Massachusetts and for all LGBT Americans.  Nobody has worked harder or longer in the U.S. Congress for fairness and equality for the LGBT community."

David Cicilline, the out mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, will join Frank in Congress in January. With 90 percent of the precincts in the district reporting, Cicilline is up by more than 8,000 votes at 10:30 p.m. with more than 50 percent of the vote. According to the Rhode Island Board of Elections:

David N. CICILLINE (DEM)     70230     50.6%
John J. LOUGHLIN, II (REP)     61668     44.5%
Kenneth A. CAPALBO (IND)     5611     4.0%
Gregory RAPOSA (Fox)     1190     0.9%

The Victory Fund's Wolfe said in a statement, "Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law."

Out Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) did not face races that even reached to the challenge that some had claimed Frank faced.

Polls, meanwhile, have not yet closed in out Democrat Steve Pougnet's challenge to Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R) in California.

Cicilline becomes 4th gay member of Congress

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is reporting that Providence Mayor David Cicilline has won his race for Congress in Rhode Island.

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. “We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

Cicilline will join openly gay Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jared Polis of Colorado, all Democrats.

And David Cicilline makes four (updated)

Chuck Wolfe, CEO for the Victory Fund, commended Cicilline for his victory in a statement.

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law,” Wolfe said. ”We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

Cicilline’s election positions him to become the fourth sitting openly gay member of the U.S. House when the 112th Congress begins in January. He’ll succeed Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), who’s retiring from Congress at the end of this year.

The Providence mayor was seen as the favorite to win because he was running in Democratic stronghold and was seen as a powerhouse fundraiser. According to Federal Election Commission reports, Cicilline raked in nearly $1.7 million over the course of his campaign.

The Rhode Island politician earned the endorsement of many national LGBT organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Victory Fund.

In a statement, Michael Cole, an HRC spokesperson, said he’s “thrilled” that Cicilline will join the members of Congress who are openly gay.

“No doubt he will carry on the record of retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy in ensuring Rhode Island’s first district is represented by an effective congressman in promoting equality for all people,” Cole said.

Signs showed the race was tightening in the week before the election. While earlier polls showed Cicilline ahead of Loughlin by double-digit numbers, the lead dropped to single digits in some polls the week before the campaign.

The Loughlin campaign also engaged in what could be seen as gay-baiting in the weeks before the election. Loughlin ran ads emphasizing that he’s a husband and a father — possibly a reference to the fact that Cicilline is gay and single — and defended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during a debate.

Despite this win, the results on Election Day were unfavorable for other non-incumbent openly gay candidates seeking election to Congress.

Both were Democratic candidates who facing the challenge of unseating incumbent Republicans in traditionally GOP districts during an election that was seen as a Republican wave.

Steve Pougnet, who’s gay and mayor of Palm Springs, Calif., lost his bid to unseat six-term incumbent Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.).

According to the California secretary of state’s web site, with 445 of of 624 precincts reporting, Bono Mack claimed 51.5 percent of the vote compared to the 42.1 percent of the vote earned by Pougnet. A third-party conservative candidate, Bill Lussenheide, won 6.4 percent of the vote.

Prior to the start of this Congress, Bono Mack had the support of many in the LGBT community for voting twice against the Federal Marriage Amendment. She also supported hate crimes legislation as well as a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

But the Republican lawmaker’s vote this year against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal earned the rancor of many LGBT people. Others in the LGBT community also flocked to Pougnet because his election would have made him the first person in a same-sex marriage and the first gay father elected to Congress.

Pougnet lost the race even though he managed to be on par with Bono Mack in terms of fundraising throughout much of the campaign. According to FEC, the Democratic candidate raised nearly $1.7 million while Bono Mack raked in more than $2.2 million.

Both HRC and the Victory Fund had endorsed Pougnet in his bid and expressed disappointment in his loss on Election Day.

Cicilline Becomes Fourth Gay Rep

The 49-year-old mayor of Providence, R.I., survived a last-minute attack on his sexual orientation in the form of a flier reading, “Alert!!! Before you vote for U.S. Congress, you should know that ... John Loughlin is a husband and father and believes in traditional family values. ... Cicilline is an openly gay man who supports same sex marriage."

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, welcomed the news.

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law,” said Wolfe. “We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

Openly gay candidates: Some surprise victories in 164 races

The results for some high profile openly gay candidates are often mixed, and they were Tuesday night—with nine of eighteen openly LGBT candidates winning. But there was one big surprise Tuesday night and one shining star and, overall, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund reported that 106 of the 164 openly gay candidates running Tuesday won their races.

The big surprise came in Lexington, Kentucky, where openly gay construction company executive Jim Gray won election as mayor. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the news shortly after the polls closed at 6 p.m. Gray has been serving as the city’s vice mayor and defeated incumbent mayor Jim Newberry. The paper said the campaign has been one of the most expensive in the city’s history and only the second time in history that a sitting mayor has been defeated. The ballot in Lexington does not indicate party affiliation. According to results published by the Herald-Leader, Gray won with 53 percent of the vote, to Mayor Jim Newberry’s 46 percent. The Herald-Leader noted that Gray lost a bid for mayor in 2002, when his sexual orientation was not public. Gray came out before running successfully for an at-large seat on the Urban County Council.

In another southern state, North Carolina, openly gay candidate Marcus Brandon of High Point won his first-time run for state representative and, in doing so, becomes the state’s first openly gay legislator in the state. According to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Brandon also becomes only the fifth openly gay African-American to a state legislature anywhere in the country. As of 10:30 Tuesday night, three hours after polls closed, the state Board of Elections showed Brandon with 70 percent of the vote, compared to Republican Lonnie Wilson. The race was to represent North Carolina’s District 60, which encompasses Guilford County in the middle of the state. Brandon told the News-Record newspaper of Greensboro that his sexual orientation was not a secret but that “This is not something I wanted to take over my campaign.”

“Nobody in a year-and-a-half ever asked me about my sexuality,” Brandon said, in an October 15 blog by an editorial writer in which the paper noted his race was one of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund’s “Ten Races to Watch” this year.

America Is So Post-Racial, We Don’t Even Need Black People in Our Senate

Also, more LGBT candidates than ever before were elected yesterday.

Victory Fund: Gay Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline elected to Congress

News release from Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund:

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, issued the following statement tonight about the election of Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline to the U.S. House of Representatives (RI-1):

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law.  We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

KY jolly: Gay man to lead major Southern city

This just in from the Victory Fund:

Kentucky’s second-largest city has elected an openly gay man as its next mayor. Vice-Mayor Jim Gray was victorious tonight in his second campaign for the city’s top job, beating incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry.
BREAKING: Lexington, Kentucky elects openly gay mayor [Gay Politics]

Lexington KY Elects Openly Gay Mayor

The Victory Fund reports that Lexington, Kentucky, the state's second-largest city, has elected openly gay candidate Jim Gray as mayor.

Vice-Mayor Jim Gray was victorious tonight in his second campaign for the city’s top job, beating incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry. This is a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community and for fairness. We are proud of Jim Gray and his fantastic campaign staff who fought hard for this win,” said Chuck Wolfe, Victory Fund’s president and CEO.

Kentucky! SRSLY!

Kentucky’s 2nd-largest city elects gay mayor

Our first big gay result from Election Night is in.

Lexington, Kentucky’s second-largest city, has elected an openly gay mayor:

From GayPolitics.com:

Vice-Mayor Jim Gray was victorious tonight in his second campaign for the city’s top job, beating incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry.

“This is a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community and for fairness.  We are proud of Jim Gray and his fantastic campaign staff who fought hard for this win,” said Chuck Wolfe, Victory Fund’s president and CEO.

Gray is one of more than 100 candidates endorsed by the Victory Fund on the ballot today. To follow Victory-fund endorsed candidates throughout the night, go here.

Gay Mayor for Lexington, Ky.

Gray received support from the Victory Fund, whose president and CEO, Chuck Wolfe, called the election “a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community, and for fairness.”

Election Night 2010 Open Thread: LGBT edition

The Victory Fund will be monitoring races with LGBT candidate at GayPolitics.com, where we just learned about the first LGBT victory of the night:

Kentucky’s second-largest city has elected an openly gay man as its next mayor. Vice-Mayor Jim Gray was victorious tonight in his second campaign for the city’s top job, beating incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry.

LGBT Candidates Score Record Wins

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund reports a record-breaking number of wins for LGBT candidates for public office across the United States in 2010.

According to a statement released Wednesday morning by the Victory Fund, “At least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning, including Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline, who will become the fourth openly gay Member of Congress when the House convenes in January.”

Other victories among many notable wins include the election of Jim Gray as mayor of Lexington, Ky., the state’s second-largest city, and the election of Nickie Antonio to the Ohio house, making her the first openly LGBT person to serve in the state legislature.

Victory Fund president and CEO Chuck Wolfe said in the statement, “There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress, but we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America, Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality. Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America’s politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone. We will continue to focus on training committed, qualified candidates, and we will work hard to get them elected to public office.”

But while it was a successful night for LGBT Democrats, none of the wins went to Republicans. No openly LGBT Republicans will be serving as state lawmakers next year.

See a more extensive list of Victory Fund winners here.

What The Midterm Elections Mean For LGBT Equality

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund announced that “at least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning” and in the table below, I summarize some of the positive and negative results from last night as they pertain to equality issues:

Dear Lexington, Kentucky - THIS ROCKS!

Yay!

The people of Lexington, Kentucky - the second largest city in the state - have elected their first openly gay mayor, Jim Gray!

Chuck Wolfe, the President and CEO of Victory Fund - which endorsed Gray - says:

“This is a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community and for fairness. We are proud of Jim Gray and his fantastic campaign staff who fought hard for this win.”

This was his second time running for the position, and he beat out incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry for the spot.

Just wonderful!

Congratulations are certainly in order for Gray, and to the people of Lexington!

Record number of openly gay candidates

There are 123 openly gay people running for public office this election year, a record number according to the Victory Fund which finances openly gay candidates.

They include David Cicilline who is running in Rhode Island for the 1st Congressional District seat. The former mayor of Providence, R.I. could become just the seventh openly gay person to serve in Congress, and only the third to be elected for the first time as an openly gay candidate.

Victory Fund also finances candidates like Rep. Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania, 8th Congressional District) who is not gay and is an Iraq War veteran. Murphy fought for an amendment to repeal the military's "Don't ask, Don't tell' policy in May.

Some of these races are important to the gay community not just because the candidates are gay, but because they are in states where legislation that affects gays is up for debate. Rhode Island, Maryland, New York, Washington and Colorado have state legislative and gubernatorial elections that could determine whether bills will pass granting gays domestic partnership benefits.

"If Democrats and openly LGBT candidates do well, we could see an attempt to establish civil unions in Colorado and full marriage equality in Maryland," the Victory Fund told supporters on election night. "Washington's LGBT state legislative caucus could attempt to convert their strong civil unions law into a marriage equality law, and the New York State Senate makeup will determine whether state organizers will make another run at winning marriage rights there."

Huge LGBT Wins in Midterms – Thanks Victory Fund!

And perhaps the story of the night for LGBT people, the Victory Fund, has helped to deliver (as of 1:00 am on Tuesday night) 93 wins. 93 openly LGBT people will be holding local and national elected positions. Among those endorsed winners by The Victory Fund are Jim Gray, the first openly gay mayor of a major city in Kentucky, Gray will be leading the way in Lexington, KY., also Marcus Brandon who will be holding a Representative seat in North Carolina, Brandon, an openly gay African American will fill a void left by retiring State Senator and openly-lesbian Julia Boseman.

Back in the Summer, I was invited to an event at a house in lower Manhattan to help raise some visibility for the openly-gay Mayor of
Providence, RI, David Cicciline. The following day, David would be announcing his intention to run for Congress. Tonight, David became the 4th openly-gay US Congressman.

We may have suffered some losses tonight, but we need to be proud of the work we have done in electing our allies and so many openly-LGBT candidates. I hope we can take a moment and realize just how important it is that people are having real conversations about who we are. People are looking past their preconceived notions and voting for LGBT people because they are the best people for the job. Tonight, with loads of help from the brilliant Victory Fund, we made great strides, and we will continue to so long as we talk about equality.

Dem Cicilline wins Kennedy's RI congressional seat

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated electing more gay officials, said the group was proud of Cicilline and grateful to voters.

"Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law," he said.