Washington, DC – Karl Frisch defeated his anti-LGBTQ opponent Andrea Bayer tonight, becoming the only openly LGBTQ member of the Fairfax County School Board and one of the few openly LGBTQ elected officials in Fairfax County. Frisch’s opponent had said initiatives to address anti-LGBTQ bullying in schools was “wasting our time” and that the LGBTQ community was “the loudest special interest group.” There are currently just 11 openly LGBTQ elected officials serving in all of Virginia.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about Frisch’s victory:
“When Karl’s opponent deployed the tired anti-LGBTQ political playbook, Karl stuck to his script, highlighting kitchen table issues and laying out a plan to help all students succeed in Fairfax County schools. LGBTQ people in Virginia continue to be severely underrepresented in elected office, but Karl’s victory tonight provides one more role model for young LGBTQ people who desperately need them.”
In addition to using anti-LGBTQ rhetoric throughout the campaign, Frisch’s opponent received funding from anti-LGBTQ activists including former Virginia Delegate Bob “Bigot Bob” Marshall, the self-proclaimed “chief homophobe” of the Virginia state legislature, who was defeated by transgender candidate Danica Roem in 2017.
Live Election Night Results: Victory Fund is live tracking the election results for its 111 openly LGBTQ endorsed candidates. The latest updates can be found at victoryfund.org/results2019.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to change the face and voice of America’s politics and achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government.
