WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, celebrated the beginning of LGBTQ+ History Month, a time to recognize that LGBTQ+ history is American history. Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY’s List, released the following statement:
“EMILY’s List is proud to recognize that just as LGBTQ+ history is American history, LGBTQ+ history is also EMILY’s List history. In our 36 years, EMILY’s List has helped elect many LGBTQ+ candidates who became historic firsts. Just a few of the groundbreakers include Sen. Tammy Baldwin (WI), who was the first openly lesbian official elected to Congress; Gov. Kate Brown (OR), the first openly LGBTQ+ governor; Del. Danica Roem (VA-HD13), who was the first openly transgender person to be elected to and seated in a U.S. state legislature; state Rep. Stephanie Byers (KS-HD86), the first openly transgender lawmaker in Kansas and first transgender person of Native American heritage to be elected to any state legislature; state Rep. Michele Rayner (FL-HD70), who was the first openly queer Black woman to hold political office in Florida; and state Rep. Jessica Benham (PA-HD36), the first openly autistic person and the first openly LGBTQ+ woman in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. EMILY’s List knows that the government serves best when it looks like the communities it represents, which is why we continue the fight to elect more groundbreakers who will pave the way for a more diverse government.”
EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $700 million to elect Democratic pro-choice women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running nearly $50 million in independent expenditures in the last cycle alone, and turning out women voters and voters of color to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country's first woman as vice president, 158 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and more than 1,300 women to state and local office. More than 40 percent of the candidates EMILY’s List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. After the 2016 election, more than 60,000 women reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state, and national offices. In our effort to elect more women in offices across the country, we have created our Run to Win program, expanded our training program, including a Training Center online, and trained thousands of women.
Original source can be found here.
