Zander Pryor-First Gay Govenor

The past midterm election was one of the most politically decisive in the last several years. This was largely due to huge voter turnout, the largest in nearly half a century. With record turnout like that, it's hardly a surprise this election had quite memorable results. Democrats won the House of Representatives while Republicans maintained and gained an even larger majority in the Senate. However, the victories were not only for Democrats and Republicans. In terms of diversity and representation, the midterms were a huge win. Women gained many seats including many women of color. Transgender candidates also saw a victory and in Colorado, the first openly gay man (Jared Polis) was elected governor.

I have been made so happy by this news. I'm glad to hear about voter turnout and I'm incredibly excited about all this diversity in our government. It makes me feel like I have less to fear, knowing that there are people like me representing me.  This election of Jared Polis reminds me of the election of Harvey Milk, with a few key differences of course. Aside from their shared identity, both were elected in incredibly intense political eras. At the time of Harvey Milk's election, the LGBTQ  community had been ruthlessly under attack by the campaigns of the likes of Anita Hill and legislation intended to strip them of their rights. This was happening much more at a local level rather than a presidential one but it still resulted in a similar climate. The rampant fear and anger of the time was an excellent motivator and could possibly be credited with electing both. This tense, politically charged climate allowed for both of them to win a seemingly uphill battle.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/polis-openly-gay-governor-colorado?ref=hpsplash