SPOTLIGHT: Shattering rainbow ceilings in the Texas legislature

Christian is running to represent the 22nd District of Texas in the state House of Representatives. If elected, Christian would be one of the first Black out LGBTQ members of the Texas legislature.  

What inspired you to decide to run for the Texas legislature? 

My family has always been very politically active. My grandmother taught me that service to others was one of the most important things in life and that I should pursue endeavors that directly impact my community. Running for the state House feels like a natural progression after working for my mentor, Representative Joe Deshotel, for the last 17 years, where I was able to help further meaningful public policy for the constituents of District 22. 

What priorities are you planning to pursue as a member of the state legislature? 

I believe every resident of Texas deserves fair treatment and opportunities to improve their life. Over the years, I have worked on quality-of-life issues like social equality and economic development, and I will continue to approach each new challenge through an equity lens. I am committed to killing bills that attack marginalized communities and increase protections for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. There are also a handful of economic issues that are specific to District 22, such as maintenance and expansion of our ports and flood mitigation, where I have experience working with stakeholders and achieving meaningful results. 

What is your message to younger LGBTQ people thinking about pursuing politics? 

Do it! Every time someone from a marginalized community steps up, makes their voice heard or breaks new ground, they become a role model for the next generation to be more confident that our potential is limited only by our imagination. We are all perfect the way we are and should never stop believing that we are our own powerhouse. Most importantly though, remember that life is beautiful and sometimes we thrive and sometimes we fail, but we deserve to give ourselves a chance to shine and show the world who we are. 

What is your favorite way to decompress after a day of campaigning? 

I love to decompress after a long day with a call to my grandmother and to play and dance with my French bulldog Sebastian. It’s the little things like this that warm my heart. 

Jolanda is running to represent residents in Texas’ 147th District. If elected, Jolanda would be the first out LGBTQ Black members of the Texas state legislature. 

What inspired you to decide to run for the Texas state legislature?   

My entire life has been about helping people. I am a lawyer who has represented clients who are most often fighting against people and institutions of power. As an At-Large Houston City Councilmember, I worked to ensure that all Houstonians were treated fairly by the City of Houston and that everyone received the services they deserved. During my tenure on the Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees, my only concern was for the children we served and I fought tirelessly for their interests. As a member of the SDEC, as the SD13 Committeewoman, I worked to register voters and to ensure Democrats were elected to office. At my core, I am a community activist who works for disenfranchised people.  

If there is any institution that needs to re-enfranchise vulnerable and marginalized people, it’s the Texas legislature.  

What priorities are you planning to pursue as a member of the state legislature?  

The most pressing issues in District 147 are access to health care and affordable housing, criminal justice reform, public education and voting rights.  

To address these issues, we must expand Medicaid to help residents get the health care and mental health care they need; stop gentrification and build more affordable housing; reform our bail bond, pretrial bond and probation and parole system and work to stop the pipeline of young African Americans into the criminal justice system; strengthen our public schools, reverse the ban on critical race theory and reverse restrictions on our trans students; and stop the Republican push to limit the voting rights of people of color. 

How has your intersectional identity as a member of the LGBTQ community influenced how you run your campaign and organize?  

I am an out Lesbian. I am also a Black woman. Like all of us, there are many facets to who I am. 

I’ve been working on behalf of LGBTQ people for decades before I figured out that I was a Lesbian. I drafted wills for people with AIDS in the 90s. I worked with PFLAG to give trainings to schools about what they were required to do to protect kids from bullying. I helped raise private funds to keep the Bering Center HIV/AIDS dental clinic going after the roof was destroyed in a storm. I helped write an LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinance for the sheriff’s office. 

As an elected official, I helped craft Houston’s LGBTQ nondiscrimination executive order. I was the first city council member to have a trans employee – and I had to fight the city to allow her to use the women’s restroom. The majority of my staff was LGBTQ my entire time in office. I also worked with State Rep. Garnet Coleman to do an anti-bullying hearing in City Council chambers. That was after a young student by the name of Asher Brown killed himself after being bullied by people who thought he was gay. I was the first elected official to be a reader at the Transgender Day of Remembrance in Houston. As chair of the city’s housing committee, I forced recipients of HOPWA funds to stop discriminating against LGBTQ youth or face having their funding cut off. 

So, you can see that my intersectional identity as a member of the LGBTQ community has added another layer of understanding for the issues that I have fought for and cared deeply about my entire life. People are people, period. They should be allowed to be who they are, free from discrimination. I also believe representation matters so I run openly as a Lesbian to normalize that Lesbians and the LGBTQ community are normal people just like everyone else.  

What’s one thing you wish more people knew about your district?  

I would like your readers to know that my district – House District 147 – is the cradle of the long fight for civil rights in Houston. It includes the first settlement of freed Black slaves in Houston. It includes churches that trained lions in our movement. It has sent warriors to the state legislature and Congress to fight for civil rights for all people. Our current state representative, Garnet Coleman, is a Black man who was Annise Parker’s first endorsement for her path-breaking, winning campaign for City Council, that led to her becoming the first out LGBTQ mayor of a major American city. I take our history very seriously and will work hard every single day to honor that legacy and carry it forward. 

Who are your LGBTQ heroes?    

Former Congresswoman, State Senator and State Representative Barbara Jordan. She was from my Congressional district and although she was not out of the closet, she ran, won and fought for Texans and Americans, including prosecuting President Richard Nixon for Watergate. Nikki Araguz Loyd, a trans woman, was my friend and a hero of mine because she lived her life authentically regardless of what people thought of her, and she sued to have her right to marry her husband. Monica Roberts, a trans woman, who fought for and introduced the world to the murder of trans woman, especially Black trans women. Her work was recognized around the world. She too was authentically herself. Mitchell Katine, John Nechman and Phyllis Frye because they are the LGBTQ legal eagles in Texas, fighting all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court to declare the Texas sodomy law unconstitutional. 

What is your message to younger LGBTQ people thinking about pursuing politics?   

Please come join me. Don’t be scared. Demand to be a part of this political system. Be your authentic self unapologetically. America needs us as does Texas, especially. We can compete with anyone, regardless of sexual orientation or identity. Non-LGBTQ people need to see us existing just like them. We are not anomalies. We are them and they are us. We must put ourselves in positions to make laws that protect the people in the cities, counties, states and country that we live in. We need to be at the table creating policy and laws rather than being the meal on that same table. 

What is your favorite way to decompress after a day of campaigning?  

Take a long hot shower, watch a show I like or talk to friends, eat a healthy and good-tasting meal, drink some water and not think of campaigning. In a perfect world, I’d have a transportation machine to go to some beautiful tropical place, where I’d be in some matching outfit (which would have been made by my drag queen atelier) which includes a brightly colored bikini with a flowy floor length cover up, soaking in its beautiful beaches of white or pink sand with blue green water and tropical fruit everywhere, staying in an over-the-water hut, all-inclusive, with a bunch of my good friends, where I can scuba dive, wind surf, para bungee and ride on a private yacht while listening to 70s, 80s and 90s R&B. I’d beam back the next morning and be back campaigning again. And, then I’d do it all over again. 

Venton is running to represent the 100th District of Texas in the state House of Representatives. If elected, he would be one of the first Black out LGBTQ members of the Texas legislature. 

What inspired you to decide to run for the Texas State Legislature?  

This is a very important election for the residents living in House District 100. The winner of this election will be the 4th State Representative to hold this seat in less than five years. During that time, my community, which is made up primarily of people of color, has witnessed a decline in the average life expectancy due to increased health and economic disparities, the COVID-19 pandemic and the displacement of native families in West Dallas, East Dallas, South Dallas and Oak Cliff. These issues have been compounded by the economic downturn, gentrification, civil and social unrest and harmful state legislation attacking LGBTQ people and communities of color, including their right to vote.   

In response, I had to step up and give back to the community that raised me and inspired my call to service as a Texas State Representative.  I am a candidate that is experienced and ready to serve District 100, a community that I was born and raised in and am now ready to serve. 

What priorities are you planning to pursue as a member of the Texas State Legislature?  

 Access to Healthcare: Healthcare is a fundamental right that MUST be afforded to all Texans, regardless of zip code or income. 

Public Education: As a product of our public schools, I am committed to fully funding Pre-K programs, increasing teacher pay and expanding access to career and technical education programs. 

Infrastructure: From streets and drainage to access to public transportation and upgrades to our power grid, we need to reform the way that money is spent to ensure that every dollar lifts up our community. 

Voting Rights: Change starts at the ballot box. That’s why I support expanding voting rights so that everyone’s voice can be heard. 

How has your intersectional identity as a member of the LGBTQ community influenced how you run your campaign and organize?  

Representation matters! As someone who is Black and LGBTQ, I am running a campaign hyper-focused on issues that disproportionately impact marginalized voices across diverse communities. More importantly, having the opportunity to break barriers and negative stigma is humbling and motivational.  

When I was growing up, I feared that if I made the decision to come out as a Black gay man, I would be throwing away my career and life goals and that my family and community would turn their backs on me. So, growing up, I never thought that public office would ever be attainable or even possible for a Black boy in Dallas. I’m reminded every day how far I’ve come and to have the opportunity to make history in Texas brings me hope that the next generation of LGBTQ people grow up in a world where there are no limits on what they can do because of who they love.    

Who are your LGBTQ heroes?   

My LGBTQ heroes are Barbara Jordan and Bayard Rustin.  

What is your message to younger LGBTQ people thinking about pursuing politics?  

Own your power! You can do whatever you want. Don’t let the negative things you may hear from strangers, friends, family and loved ones stop you from running for office or being involved in politics.  You are powerful, you are an agent of change and you will succeed!  

What is your favorite way to decompress after a day of campaigning?  

My favorite way to decompress after a long day of campaigning is gardening. It brings me peace and joy taking care of my yard.