Washington, DC – Indianapolis voters quadrupled openly LGBTQ representation on its city-county council Tuesday night, reelecting Zach Adamson and electing first-time council candidates Alison Brown and Keith Potts. Brown, who is now the first openly LGBTQ woman elected to the council, faced an anti-LGBTQ attack ad from her opponent in the final weeks of the campaign.
Indiana currently has just nine openly LGBTQ elected officials in the entire state.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about the victories in Indianapolis:
“A rainbow wave came crashing into Mike Pence’s backyard Tuesday night, with voters sending three openly LGBTQ candidates to the Indianapolis City-County Council. While LGBTQ people continue to be severely underrepresented in the state, these victories will inspire more LGBTQ Hoosiers to consider a run for office and make change in a state that lags much of the country in LGBTQ protections.
“For too long, openly LGBTQ candidates were defeated by opponents who appealed to bigotry in a desperate attempt to win tight races. But Indianapolis voters have rejected the personal attacks in favor of a bisexual leader who put forward a positive vision for her community, ensuring future candidates think twice before targeting an opponent’s sexual orientation or gender identity. That shift will be a lasting legacy of this campaign.”
Live Election Night Results: Victory Fund is live tracking the election results for its 110 openly LGBTQ endorsed candidates. The latest updates can be found at victoryfund.org/results2019.
_________________
LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to change the face and voice of America’s politics and achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government.
