Three local candidates became their states’ first out transgender officials in 2020.

Evelyn Rios-Stafford was appointed to replace Democrat Candy Clark on the ballot for Justice of the Peace in Washington County, Arkansas, after the nominee dropped out of the race for health reasons. She defeated a Republican candidate in the November elections and made history as the first out trans candidate ever elected in Arkansas.

“I said during the campaign that I’d much rather be known for what I do for the community than for who I am,” Rios-Stafford told them in an interview after her election victory. “But I also think my election sends a message that in Arkansas, everyone should feel like they belong.”

In June, activist Rosemary Ketchum won a seat on the City Council of Wheeling, West Virginia, becoming the first out trans official in the Mountain State. 

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In Cook County, Illinois, attorney Jill Rose Quinn was elected to the County Circuit Court after being unopposed in the general election.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune before the primary election, Quinn emphasized that she wanted to be a offer hope to trans people who are struggling. “There are kids in this country killing themselves because they’re trans and they don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. They don’t see respect. They don’t see themselves portrayed as being people, not ordinary people, of course, because nobody’s ordinary, but they don’t see how great they can be. So I think it’s important for them to see that you can survive, you can prosper, you can go to school, you can study hard. You can make your way, and you can be a judge.”

“Jill’s victory is a transformative moment for the state of Illinois and indicative of the progress trans people are making in our nation’s politics,” said LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Annise Parker in a statement following Quinn’s campaign victory, which the fund supported. “While Jill is a trailblazer, her victory gives hope to other trans people considering a run for office, moving closer to the day when a trans person elected doesn’t make newspaper headlines. Our judiciary should be representative of the people that come before it and Jill’s election brings us one step closer to that ideal.”

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No political campaign was unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was widespread in the United States by early 2020. In March, most campaigns transitioned to operate fully online, as in-person events and door-to-door campaigning had become increasingly unviable options. From the earliest stages of the lockdown, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund moved major fundraisers online and began a series of live interviews on social media that went on to feature 70 endorsed candidates over the course of the cycle. Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, more than 1000 LGBTQ+ people ran throughout 2020 and 336 won their races -- both historic numbers. When the 2020 winners took office, there were at least 985 out LGBTQ+ elected officials serving nationwide.

In the nearly two-and-a-half centuries of the history of the United States, no major party has ever nominated an out LGBTQ+ candidate to lead a presidential ticket. In 2020, the Democratic Party came closer than ever to shattering the ultimate lavender ceiling.  

That a little-known, 38 year-old mayor from a mid-sized Indiana town became the first gay candidate to win the Iowa caucus could seem to some like a miraculous spoof. But that interpretation of events ignores the grueling – yet characteristically joyful – work to organize a national voting base for Buttigieg and elevate his candidacy to the front of a crowded and experienced field.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund’s history with Buttigieg traces to 2015, when it connected ahead of Buttigieg coming out to his constituents in a South Bend newspaper editorial. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund supported him for reelection, which he won in a landslide, and boosted him during his upshot bid for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017. Bolstering his national profile was a 2016 New York Times column by Frank Bruni that openly questioned whether Buttigieg would be America’s first out president as well as a shout-out by President Barack Obama in a New Yorker interview. In January 2019, when the South Bend mayor announced he was running for president, for the first time, there was the possibility that the LGBTQ+ community could finally put some cracks in that lavender ceiling.

It would take a few months of hard work before Buttigieg earned the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorsement, which was announced in the summer of 2019 and timed with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. By this time, the Pete for America organization was a fundraising success story, Buttigieg and his husband Chasten’s profiles were on the rise in the national media and the campaign had attracted a growing band of enthusiastic supporters spread across 50 states. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund was the first national group to endorse the Pete for America campaign and raised nearly $2 million in direct contributions for America’s first viable out candidate for president.

A series of masterful debate performances helped widen the reach of Buttigieg’s campaign organization, which was known as one of the 2020 cycle’s most innovative, digital-first campaigns. By January 2020, Buttigieg was polling in third or fourth place in several polls of Iowa caucus-goers. It would be the Iowa caucus that catapulted Buttigieg into becoming an undeniable contender, coming in first place in the delegate count in Iowa, the nation’s first party nominating contest. The Iowa caucuses were defined by a chaotic app rollout, resulting in a three-day delay in official results and the resignation of the chair of the Iowa Democrats. With no clear winner at that point, both Buttigieg and opponent Bernie Sanders claimed victory. (While Buttigieg ultimately received two more delegates than Sanders, Sanders won a plurality of the raw vote of Iowa caucus-goers.) The delay in reporting dampened the campaign’s momentum, led to backlash to the campaign’s early claim of victory and further divided factions of the Democratic party.

“Pete’s victory is a transformational moment in American history, upending traditional notions of electability and proving America is ready to elect its first openly gay president,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, after the Iowa victory. “Just twelve years ago, no serious contender for the presidency publicly supported the right of LGBTQ+ people to marry. LGBTQ+ people were effectively banned from the military. But Monday night, Iowa decided Pete is the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into a new decade, a powerful statement of our nation’s progress.”

Those hopes would prove short-lived however, as Buttigieg ultimately made the decision to drop out of the presidential contest following a less-than-desirable performance in the New Hampshire primary, emphasizing the need to consolidate around the candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of Super Tuesday. At this point, the field had significantly narrowed, with Biden and Sanders emerging as the most likely to emerge with the Democratic nomination.

Though Buttigieg didn’t shatter the glass ceiling in 2020, his campaign had a lasting impact on the political self-determination of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Pete’s candidacy represents a revolution in American politics, forever transforming what is possible for an LGBTQ candidate and making clear America will elect an openly LGBTQ president.” - Annise Parker, President & CEO, LGBTQ Victory Fund

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Nine LGBTQ+ candidates won their races for the U.S. Congress — including all seven incumbents — the most ever in an election cycle. But it was New York City Councilmember Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones who grabbed most the headlines, with Torres becoming the first LGBTQ+ Afro-Latinx member of the U.S. House and Jones joining him as the first out LGBTQ+ Black members.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund jumped into the New York Congressional races early, endorsing Torres for the NY-15 seat in July 2019 and Jones for NY-17 in October 2019.

While Jones had a more typical primary season, Torres' was unusual. Despite dozens of candidates in the race, polls consistently showed Torres and fellow City Councilmember Rubén Díaz Sr. way ahead of the others. Díaz was an anti-LGBTQ+ extremist candidate who long advocated against marriage equality and other LGBTQ+ rights issues, yet he remained neck-and-neck with Torres in the liberal district because of his name recognition and the split vote amongst progressives in the race. As the primary approached, Victory Fund rallied groups to attack Díaz and raise awareness about his anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion stances. The coalition included Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Latino Victory Fund, the Human Rights Campaign and others. And in the final weeks before the primary, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund organized Equality PAC and Stonewall Democrats of NYC to join in calling for candidates with single-digit support to drop out and unite behind Torres. In the final days, support for Torres accelerated, and slipped for Díaz.

On Election Day, both Jones and Torres pulled off victories, making history and national headlines.

"I hope I can represent the possibility that a poor kid, a kid of color, a LGBTQ kid from a place like the Bronx, can overcome the odds and become a member of the United States Congress. - Ritchie Torres

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In the three years since Danica Roem’s historic victory in 2017, in which she unseated a 24-year incumbent and became Virginia’s first out transgender state legislator, three other transgender women also won elections to become state legislators: Lisa Bunker and Geri Cannon of New Hampshire and Briana Titone of Colorado.

The 2020 elections doubled the number of out transgender legislators -- from four to eight. Sarah McBride of Delaware became the country's first out trans state senator and Stephanie Byers became the first out trans person of color ever elected to a state legislature. Taylor Small became the first out trans person elected to Vermont’s state legislature and Stacie Laughton was elected to the New Hampshire state House, the third out trans person to do so in New Hampshire. Mauree Turner also became the first out non-binary person to win a state legislative seat, with a victory in her race for the Oklahoma state House.

Local trans and non-binary candidates also made gains, with historic firsts in Arkansas, Illinois and West Virginia.

Stephanie Byers, who was also the first out trans person elected to the Kansas state legislature, appeared in a documentary in the Witchita Eagle:

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Black LGBTQ+ elected officials took center stage as protesters around the country demanded an end to white supremacy and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins – the first out trans woman elected to a major city's council -- represented the district where George Floyd was killed. In television interviews and at protests in her home city, Jenkins became a conscience for the nation, saying his death “was a symbol for a knee on the neck of black America.” Minneapolis City Councilmember Phillipe Cunningham -- the first out trans man elected to a major city council -- also played a leading role in the city's response to the killing.

In May 2020, Maryland state Senator Mary Washington moderated a conversation with congressional candidates Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres about the necessary response to white supremacy and police violence on Victory Fund’s Facebook Live:

Many states elected historic out LGBTQ+ leaders to their state legislatures in 2020 – victories expected to shift the landscape for LGBTQ+ rights in those states for years to come.

There were groundbreaking victories for LGBTQ+ people of color, with LGBTQ+ state legislators of color increasing by 33 percent in 2020, from 42 to 56. Jabari Brisport won a New York state Senate seat to become the first out LGBTQ+ person of color elected to the New York state legislature. Tiara Mack became the first out LGBTQ+ Black member of the Rhode Island state Senate and Florida state Representative Shevrin Jones the first out LGBTQ+ Florida state senator. Alex Lee and David Oritz both became the first out bisexual members of their state legislators, in California and Colorado, respectively. Adrian Tam also won his race against an anti-LGBTQ+ and white supremacist challenger, becoming the only person currently serving in the Hawaii state legislature.

Victories for women-identified state legislators made women the majority of LGBTQ+ state legislators nationwide — 92 of the 178 serving. Jess Benham became the first out LGBTQ+ woman elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature and one of the few out autistic people ever elected to a state legislature in the U.S. Kim Jackson became the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the Georgia state Senate and Michele Rayner the first Black out LGBTQ+ woman elected to the Florida state legislature.

Both Delaware and Tennessee elected out LGBTQ+ state legislators for the first time. Sarah McBride and Marie Pinkney became the first state senators in Delaware and Eric Morrison its first state representative. In Tennessee, both Torrey Harris and Eddie Mannis won seats in the state House.

In 2012, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund candidate Sean Patrick Maloney made history as New York’s first out member of Congress as well as the first gay dad to serve in federal office. After the 2020 elections, Maloney made history again when his colleagues elected him to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee through the upcoming 2022 election cycle. He’s the first out LGBTQ+ official to ever lead an arm of a major party in the U.S.

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As long as LGBTQ+ people have been running for office, enemies of the community have attempted to weaponize these candidates’ identities against them. Far too many of these attempts have successfully derailed the campaigns of qualified candidates.

In recent years, with the rising visibility and acceptance of gays and lesbians – and to a lesser degree, transgender and bisexual individuals – LGBTQ+ Victory Fund had seen a decline in anti-LGBTQ+ campaign tactics proportional to the number of endorsed candidates. In the 2020 election cycle, that trend ended, with a notable increase in attacks.

Homophobic, biphobic and transphobic campaign tactics took different forms that range from insinuations to outright defamation – all based in destructive stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people. In 2020, opponents of LGBTQ+ candidates publicly sensationalized candidates’ dating lives, pushed wild homophobic tropes about pedophilia and drug use, and attacked candidates’ support for trans equality. The offenders included behemoths like the Republican National Campaign Committee – which invested millions of dollars in anti-LGBTQ+ attacks ads targeting LGBTQ+ candidates – but also state-based political organizations and online hate groups like QAnon. Notably, several anti-LGBTQ+ smear campaigns took place in Democratic primaries.

No category of public office was spared. Legislative candidates around the country who were targeted simply for being LGBTQ+ include Florida state Senate candidate Shevrin Jones, whose primary opponent issued a robocall that emphasized his sexuality and implied he had HIV. In Illinois, Ken Mejia-Beal’s GOP opponent was caught warning a potential donor about the dangers of electing a Black, gay man to represent her moderate district. California Senator Scott Wiener faced coordinated attacks by QAnon adherents over his support for a bill that would equalize penalties for LGBTQ people committing certain crimes. In Colorado, Brianna Titone faced a particularly brutal transphobic attack ad that deliberately mischaracterized a police interaction.

Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege faced biphobic attacks from within the LGBTQ+ community in her reelection bid, with members of the public baselessly accusing her of lying about her sexuality. Todd Gloria, who won his election to be San Diego’s first out LGBTQ+ mayor, was attacked for his support of Wiener’s crime bill, with local media twisting the intent of the bill and his political opponents piling on.  

For LGBTQ+ candidates for Congress running in 2020, the homophobic attacks came with six-figure ad buys. Gina Ortiz Jones (TX-23) was singled out by the powerful NRCC for being a lesbian and supporting transgender rights. Alex Morse faced a last-minute effort by the Massachusetts College Democrats (whose leadership was aligned with Alex’s primary opponent) to derail his campaign through baseless allegations of misconduct, for which he was later absolved. In Michigan, District 6 candidate Jon Hoadley faced six-figures in attack ads that labeled him a sexual predator, stringing together out-of-context quotes from a decade-old blog of Hoadley’s to completely distort their original intent. All three of these candidates lost their races.

The wave of attacks led LGBTQ+ Victory Fund to double down on its candidate resources, supporting dozens of LGBTQ+ candidates with rapid response and fundraising efforts.

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