The Rainbow Wave: US Midterm Elections Bring Historic Wins For LGBT+ Community

It was a night of historic wins as the Democrat’s promised “blue wave” swept the United States and took back the House of Representatives. The US midterm elections – the so called “referendum on Trump” – saw a lot for the left to celebrate, including a record number of LGBTQ candidatesrunning for office, the first gay elected officials in many states, and a huge number of women being elected.

Here are the best highlights from the rainbow wave:

Jared Polis is the first openly gay governor in the US

A huge win for the LGBT+ community. Polis, a five-term Democratic congressman – who was the first openly gay parent in Congress – became the country’s first gay governor.

“Tonight, Colorado rejected the Trump-Pence administration’s politics of bigotry and fear by choosing bold pro-equality champion Jared Polis, the nation’s first openly gay man elected governor,” saidChad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

“For nearly a decade in Congress, Polis fought to advance fairness and equality in Colorado and across America.”

Chris Pappas is New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of congress

Pappas succeeded in beating in Republican Eddie Edwards and now takes over Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter’s seat.

“Voters in New Hampshire and all across the country are delivering a strong message,” Pappas said upon winning. “When America is faced with a challenge, we don’t give up. We don’t give into fear or anger. We persevere.”

Angie Craig becomes first openly gay person elected to Congress from Minnesota

Craig beat out the intensely homophobic GOP Rep. Jason Lewis in the Twin Cities race. Lewis has denounced same-sex marriage and once compared gay people to rapists.

Sharice Davis is the first LGBT+ person and first Native American to represent Kansas in Congress

Davis will be joining Democrat Deb Haaland(who also won her race on Tuesday) as one of the first two Native American to ever serve in Congress. Davisis also an out lesbian who studied law at Cornell Law School and was a White House fellow under President Barack Obama.

Two trans women were elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives

Democrats Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker will join Virginia state Del. Danica Roemas the only openly trans members of any US state legislator.

Roem congratulated Cannon and Bunker’s victories by saying: “Pretty soon, I will no longer the only out transgender state legislator in the country.... and that is wonderful!”

There were many more victories for the community on Tuesday night, including: Susan Ruiz and Brandon Woodard who became the first LGBT+ members of Kansas’ state legislature; Zach Wahls, the son of two lesbian mums and who famously defended them in the Iowa House of Representatives in 2011 has become a state lawmaker; and Malcolm Kenyatta who became the first openly gay black man to be elected to Pennsylvania legislature.