LGBTQ+ elected officials in the U.S.A. have tripled since 2017 but are still underrepresented
June 28, 2024Over the past seven years, the number of LGBTQ+ elected officials in the United States of America has surged by nearly 200%, according to a recent report by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute.
Notably, the report also highlighted that every state and D.C. now has at least one openly queer elected official. “LGBTQ people are running in historic numbers right now, and we are winning,” Elliot Imse, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, told NBC News.
According to ‘LGBTQ Nation’, the research revealed that as of May, there are 1,303 out LGBTQ elected officials, representing a 10% increase from the 1,185 officials recorded last year and a 190.8% increase from the 448 out officials in 2017. However, the number of trans elected officials has decreased by 6%, from 50 to 47, marking the first decline since the organisation began tracking in 2017. Nonbinary elected officials have increased by 69.6%, with 39 individuals currently in office.
The report also found that more queer and trans people of colour are running for and winning elected office, with LGBTQ+ elected officials of colour increasing by 17%.
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Despite these gains, the report noted that LGBTQ+ individuals remain “severely underrepresented at nearly every level of government and in nearly every public position in the United States.” For equitable representation, states, territories, and the District of Columbia need to elect 338 more LGBTQ+ state legislators, along with hundreds more mayors and 16,000 local officials.
According to a March Gallup poll, 7.6% of the U.S.A. population identifies as LGBTQ+. To achieve equitable representation among the 519,682 U.S. elected positions, 39,496 LGBTQ+ individuals would need to be elected.
“Despite the historic news of having an LGBTQ+ elected official in every state and DC, we must remember just how important this year is for our candidates, elected officials, and our democracy,” said Annise Parker, President & CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, emphasizing the many ongoing battles over bodily freedom and autonomy in school boards, state capitols, and federal government. “We know we still have a long way to go. The battles over bodily freedom and autonomy happening in school boards, state capitols, and even our federal government demand all of us to work even harder to get more LGBTQ+ people elected nationwide.”
This report emerges at a time when legislation targeting the queer community, particularly trans youth, has significantly increased. The Human Rights Campaign reported that as of May 23, 2024, over 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills had been introduced in state legislatures, many seeking to restrict gender-affirming care for trans youth. South Carolina recently became the 25th state to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, meaning that trans youth in half of the country cannot access the care they need.
“What happens through November and beyond is critical to building an America that truly represents all of us and a call to many more in our community to run for elected office and help shape our future,” Parker said.
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Davante Lewis Is The First Out LGBTQ+ Person Elected To Statewide Office In Louisiana, U.S.A.
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