You've heard the saying that the glass is either half empty, or half full? Well, for many an LGBT voter, particularly on a federal level, that glass might be looking a little empty this morning, as a slew of anti-gay politicians have been given marching orders to the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and a few state executive offices, too.
But as Monty Python might tell us, there comes a time where we have to look on the bright side of life. Sure, we'll own up to the reality that a Congress with Marco Rubio, Scott Rigell, Pat Toomey, Kelly Ayotte, Rand Paul, and Roy Blount won't look too pretty vis a vis LGBT rights. But there were also some significant story lines from yesterday's Election that merit celebrating for the LGBT community.
Without further ado...
5. Say hello to the first transgender trial judge in U.S. history. Alameda County in California made history last night, by electing the country's first transgender trial judge, Victoria Kolakowski (pictured above). Talk about busting through a glass ceiling. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Kolakowski won by 1.5 percentage points. In an interview with Change.org earlier this summer, Kolakowski said that if she was elected, she would view her appearance on the court as a sort of sensitivity training for the legal system. "Just like people become more comfortable with us as gay and lesbian people when more of us come out (I am a lesbian as well), having an out, visible transgender judge will demonstrate to the judges, attorneys, staff and police who interact with the courts every day that we can be capable professionals, like everyone else." Amen.
4. So a gay guy walks into Congress ... Make no mistake, the 112th session of the U.S. Congress is going to look a lot less LGBT-friendly than the 111th. But one thing the 112th Congress will have going for it is the addition of yet another LGBT member. That's because openly gay Providence, Rhode Island Mayor David Cicilline pulled out a victory in a race for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat, becoming the fourth openly gay member of Congress. "As an openly gay man, I have a deep understanding of the importance of achieving equality for all citizens," he says. "I will continue to work hard in Congress to ensure full LGBT equality in marriage, in the workplace, in schools, and in communities." Cicilline will join Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank (who also won a contested race last night), and Jared Polis as the cast and crew of your LGBT members in the U.S. House.
3. Local and state breakthroughs. There were some other significant breakthroughs in last night's election, including the fact that Lexington, Kentucky elected its first openly gay mayor, Jim Gray, and North Carolina elected Marcus Brandon to its State House. Brandon will be the only LGBT member in the North Carolina House, and the fifth LGBT-African American politician serving in a state legislature in the country. (It should be noted, of course, that North Carolina's statewide elections weren't so hot for LGBT people, through Brandon's win is a major highlight.)
2. California dreamin', on a such a bleak post-Election Day. Thank you, oh wise and wonderful Golden State, for making sure that the Election night didn't end on a total downer. Jerry Brown, who made his support for marriage equality a huge centerpiece of his campaign, beat Meg Whitman in the state's race for Governor. Why is that important? Well, among other things, it ensures that California's executive branch won't be interested in meddling in the federal court case challenging Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage. Better still? While the race hasn't been called yet, it looks like Kamala Harris has squeaked ahead of her opponent, Steve Cooley, for California's Attorney General seat. That's another important seat, with Harris poised to become perhaps one of the nation's fiercest allies for LGBT rights.
1. Mark Dayton vs. Target's anti-gay political donations. Despite being up against a boatload of special interest cash, including corporate donations by Target, Best Buy, and 3m, Mark Dayton looks like he managed to beat Tom "Yes, I did give $250 to an organization that says killing gay people is moral" Emmer in Minnesota's gubernatorial race. Dayton's victory could do wonders for the issue of marriage equality in the state of Minnesota. And Target must be licking its wounds this morning, realizing that the money it has lost out on -- both the $150,000 donation to support Emmer, as well as the hundreds of thousands of dollars lost from LGBT customers boycotting the store -- could all be for naught.
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Without further ado...
5. Say hello to the first transgender trial judge in U.S. history. Alameda County in California made history last night, by electing the country's first transgender trial judge, Victoria Kolakowski (pictured above). Talk about busting through a glass ceiling. With 100 percent of the precincts reporting, Kolakowski won by 1.5 percentage points. In an interview with Change.org earlier this summer, Kolakowski said that if she was elected, she would view her appearance on the court as a sort of sensitivity training for the legal system. "Just like people become more comfortable with us as gay and lesbian people when more of us come out (I am a lesbian as well), having an out, visible transgender judge will demonstrate to the judges, attorneys, staff and police who interact with the courts every day that we can be capable professionals, like everyone else." Amen.4. So a gay guy walks into Congress ... Make no mistake, the 112th session of the U.S. Congress is going to look a lot less LGBT-friendly than the 111th. But one thing the 112th Congress will have going for it is the addition of yet another LGBT member. That's because openly gay Providence, Rhode Island Mayor David Cicilline pulled out a victory in a race for an open U.S. House of Representatives seat, becoming the fourth openly gay member of Congress. "As an openly gay man, I have a deep understanding of the importance of achieving equality for all citizens," he says. "I will continue to work hard in Congress to ensure full LGBT equality in marriage, in the workplace, in schools, and in communities." Cicilline will join Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank (who also won a contested race last night), and Jared Polis as the cast and crew of your LGBT members in the U.S. House.
3. Local and state breakthroughs. There were some other significant breakthroughs in last night's election, including the fact that Lexington, Kentucky elected its first openly gay mayor, Jim Gray, and North Carolina elected Marcus Brandon to its State House. Brandon will be the only LGBT member in the North Carolina House, and the fifth LGBT-African American politician serving in a state legislature in the country. (It should be noted, of course, that North Carolina's statewide elections weren't so hot for LGBT people, through Brandon's win is a major highlight.)
2. California dreamin', on a such a bleak post-Election Day. Thank you, oh wise and wonderful Golden State, for making sure that the Election night didn't end on a total downer. Jerry Brown, who made his support for marriage equality a huge centerpiece of his campaign, beat Meg Whitman in the state's race for Governor. Why is that important? Well, among other things, it ensures that California's executive branch won't be interested in meddling in the federal court case challenging Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage. Better still? While the race hasn't been called yet, it looks like Kamala Harris has squeaked ahead of her opponent, Steve Cooley, for California's Attorney General seat. That's another important seat, with Harris poised to become perhaps one of the nation's fiercest allies for LGBT rights.
1. Mark Dayton vs. Target's anti-gay political donations. Despite being up against a boatload of special interest cash, including corporate donations by Target, Best Buy, and 3m, Mark Dayton looks like he managed to beat Tom "Yes, I did give $250 to an organization that says killing gay people is moral" Emmer in Minnesota's gubernatorial race. Dayton's victory could do wonders for the issue of marriage equality in the state of Minnesota. And Target must be licking its wounds this morning, realizing that the money it has lost out on -- both the $150,000 donation to support Emmer, as well as the hundreds of thousands of dollars lost from LGBT customers boycotting the store -- could all be for naught.
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