Above: Sam Park, Daniel Hernandez, and Leslie Herod
Four LGBTQ people of color won seats in state legislatures for the first time last November — exciting victories that will bring meaningful change. This week, three of those state representatives will be sworn in.
Sam Park, elected to represent Georgia’s House District 101, will be sworn in today and will become the first openly gay man in Georgia’s General Assembly.
Daniel Hernandez will be sworn in today as Representative for Arizona’s House District 2. Hernandez will be the only openly LGBTQ representative currently serving in the Arizona State House, and the first since Kyrsten Sinema left to represent Arizona’s 9th Congressional District.
On Wednesday, Leslie Herod will be sworn in as Representative for Colorado’s House District 8. Herod will become the first openly LGBTQ African American elected into office in Colorado.
Late last year, Carlos Guillermo Smith was sworn-in and became the first openly LGBTQ Latino to serve in the Florida state legislature.
These newly elected leaders are on the frontlines, pushing equality forward at the state level. This work is more important than ever, given the possibility that Trump’s administration will roll back LGBTQ rights at the federal level.
