Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 4 april 2019
LGBT progress seen in Lightfoot’s win, rise of ‘Mayor Pete’

measure that has near-
unanimous Democratic
support.
“It’s exceedingly frustrat-
ing,” Parker said. “We’d
love to support more can-
didates in the GOP, but the
party of Donald Trump has
no place for them. It has
chosen to attack the rights
and livelihoods of LGBT
people to solidify political
power.”
Tyler Deaton of the Ameri-
can Unity Fund, which seeks
to boost support for LGBT
rights among Republicans,
acknowledged in an email
that LGBT Democrats “are
having an amazing year.”
“It’s a lesson to my fellow
Republicans about the
electability of LGBTQ can-
didates,” he wrote. “The
party needs to look more
like the voters, which in-
cludes recruiting and el-
evating more candidates
This combination of 2019 photos shows newly-elected Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, left; and Democratic presidential candidate, who are women, people
South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg. of color, religious minorities,
Associated Press and LGBTQ people.”
By DAVID CRARY sin became the first openly ing open about who they One indicator of the shifts The flip side is a boon for the
AP National Writer gay person to gain a seat are.” Buttigieg — at 37, the in LGBT politics is that Light- Democratic establishment,
NEW YORK (AP) — “Mayor in the House of Repre- youngest prominent con- foot, a former prosecutor, which courts financial and
Pete,” as he’s known to his sentatives. There are now tender in the Democratic and Buttigieg, a Harvard political support from LGBT
growing fan base, is running eight LGBT members of the presidential race — has graduate, Rhodes scholar activists and donors. Just
a surprisingly strong and House, and two in the Sen- received rave reviews for and Afghanistan war veter- last week, two Democratic
well-funded campaign for ate — Baldwin and Arizo- many of his public appear- an, have not been immune presidential contenders
president. Lori Lightfoot has na’s Kyrsten Sinema, whose ances and reported raising to criticism from some ac- — Sens. Kamala Harris of
just won a landslide vic- bisexuality never became $7 million in the first fund- tivists. California and Cory Booker
tory to become Chicago’s an issue in her closely con- raising period of the cam- “For many members of of New Jersey — spoke at
mayor. tested election campaign paign. His husband, Chas- the LGBTQ community, a a West Coast gala held by
Together, the ascendance last year. ten, has amassed 176,000 candidate’s mere iden- the Human Rights Cam-
of Lightfoot and Pete Butti- Lightfoot’s victory Tues- Twitter followers with cheer- tity as gay or lesbian is paign.
gieg — the two-term mayor day in the third-largest U.S. ful and sometimes wry not enough,” said profes- For some LGBT activists, the
of South Bend, Indiana — city, along with lesbian Sa- commentary about their sor Katherine Franke, who pace of change — and
highlights the remarkable tya Rhodes-Conway’s vic- relationship and their dogs, teaches gender and sexu- the greater public accep-
progress made recently by tory in Madison, Wisconsin, and has been invited to ality studies at Columbia tance of LGBT candidates
gay and lesbian politicians, brings the number of LGBT headline a gala being held University. — is dramatic.
to the point where their mayors to 37, according Saturday in Houston by the “Neither Lightfoot nor But- Lawyer Roberta Kaplan re-
sexual orientation is either to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, Human Rights Campaign, a tigieg are particularly pro- flected that only six years
an asset or a nonissue. Both which recruits and sup- national LGBT rights group. gressive in their policy posi- ago she was litigating be-
Lightfoot and Buttigieg ports LGBT candidates. In Shannon Minter, legal di- tions on a number of issues,” fore the U.S. Supreme Court
have talked comfortably Colorado, Jared Polis was rector of the National Franke said. “Lightfoot has on behalf of Edie Windsor,
about LGBT issues and their inaugurated in January as Center for Lesbian Rights, been criticized for being who faced an enormous
own same-sex marriages. the nation’s first openly gay said Lightfoot’s and But- too pro-prosecution and tax bill because she was
“The real news is not that governor. tigieg’s appeal is based on pro-police in a city that has married to a woman in-
openly gay candidates are Annise Parker, a lesbian “character, leadership and suffered significant police stead of a man. Two years
successful, but that being who served three terms ideas.” violence, and Buttigieg has later, in 2015, the high court
openly gay has become as mayor of Houston and Yet Minter also suggested been critiqued for his iden- legalized same-sex mar-
irrelevant,” said Richard is now CEO of the Victory that LGBT candidates may tification with elites.” riage nationwide.
Socarides, a former Clin- Fund, said LGBT candidates have certain distinctive Thus far, the advancement “The traditional Jewish
ton White House adviser on such as Polis and Lightfoot strengths. “They may be of LGBT politicians has not blessing thanks God for
gay issues. “are achieving positions more likely to empathize been a bipartisan phenom- keeping us alive, sustaining
“Here are two people with that cause folks to sit up with others who have ex- enon. Very few of the na- us, and bringing us to this
fresh ideas and a new vi- and take notice.” perienced discrimination or tion’s top-tier LGBT elected season,” Kaplan said in an
sion for the future,” Socari- “It’s not a fluke or an odd- obstacles,” he said. “They officials have been Repub- email. “That is very much
des said. “Voters don’t care ity,” she said. “These are may also be more likely to licans, and only a handful how I feel today when I see
about their sexual orienta- dedicated, hardworking cherish the opportunity to of Republicans in Congress news like Lori Lightfoot’s
tion. That’s a sea change.” public servants who bring a run for office and serve, have signaled support for victory in Chicago or Pete
It was only in 1998 that directness and integrity to something other politicians the Equality Act, a sweep- Buttigieg’s candidacy for
Tammy Baldwin of Wiscon- their service ... They’re be- may take for granted.” ing LGBT-nondiscrimination president.”q