Record number of LGBTQ people running for US office in 2020, says report

While openly LGBTQ people remain severely underrepresented in the US government, the year 2020 has witnessed a record number of LGBTQ candidates running for US office. According to a report by LGBTQ Victory Institute’s Out For America, 843 openly LGBTQ elected officials currently serve across all levels of government, up from 417 in June 2016.

There has been a 21 per cent increase in LGBTQ elected officials and a 35 per cent increase in LGBTQ mayors since June 2019. The increase in bisexual elected officials and queer elected officials has been 53 per cent and 71 per cent respectively. The institute said that 850 LGBTQ people are already running for office this year and several candidates have strong chances of entering Congress.

The report says LGBTQ people are at least 4.5 per cent of the US adult population but hold just 0.17 per cent of elected positions nationwide. Victory Institute’s President, Mayor Annise Parker, said in a statement that when LGBTQ people are in elected office and in the halls of power, they change the hearts and minds of their colleagues and it leads to more inclusive legislation.

“Enjoy exploring the current state of LGBTQ representation in the United States and I hope you join us in our efforts to build a pipeline of LGBTQ leaders who will change our nation for the better,” said Parker.

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Equitable representation

The percentage of elected positions held by openly LGBTQ elected officials would need to be equal to the percentage of LGBTQ people in the US adult population for equitable representation. In order to achieve it, over 22,000 LGBTQ must be elected for government positions. As of June 2020, only two US Senators and seven House Representatives are from the LGBTQ community.

“Over the past year, LGBTQ elected officials have been on the frontlines...Allies are important, but LGBTQ representation in the halls of power is critical to the success of our movement,” said Ruben Gonzales, Vice President of LGBTQ Victory Institute, in a statement.

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