Washington, DC – Today LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed candidate Mauree Turner won their race for the Oklahoma state House and became the first openly non-binary person ever elected to a state legislature in the United States. Currently there are just four out genderqueer or non-binary-identified elected officials serving in the entire country. There are currently just five openly LGBTQ elected officials serving in all Oklahoma.
Annise Parker, President & CEO for LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about the victory:
“Of all the states to achieve a milestone political moment for non-binary people, few would have thought it would be Oklahoma, where there are so few LGBTQ elected officials. But Mauree ran a tireless campaign focused on the issues that matter to their district while also being authentic and open about who they are. Mauree is now a trailblazer for non-binary people and their courage to run openly will inspire more non-binary people to pursue careers in elected office.”
A historic number of genderqueer and non-binary people ran for office in 2020, according to Victory Fund’s Out on the Trail report. Seventeen ran for office in 2020 compared to just four in 2018 – a 325 percent increase.
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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.
