The number of LGBTQ elected officials in the U.S. has increased nearly 200% since 2017, according to a new report from the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute.
O reportfirst reported via NBC News, found that the number of LGBTQ elected officials has increased by 190.8 percent since 2017. It also found that there was a 10.8 percent increase in the number of LGBTQ elected officials between June of last year and May. According to the report, it “analyzes LGBTQ+ elected representation as of May 17, 2024.”
“Despite the historic news of having an LGBTQ+ elected official in every state and D.C., we must remember how important this year is for our candidates, elected officials, and our democracy,” Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, said on report released Tuesday, according to to a press release from the group.
“We know we still have a long way to go,” Parker continued. “The battles for bodily freedom and autonomy raging on school boards, in state capitols, and even in our federal government demand that we all work even harder to get more LGBTQ+ people elected across the country.”
The report found that in mid-May there were 1,303 “known” people LGBTQ elected officials in the US, up from last year’s count of 1,185, and that 0.25% of elected officials in the US are LGBTQ.
“What happens during November and beyond is critical to building an America that truly represents all of us, and a call to action for many more in our community to run for elected office and help shape our future,” continued Parker, who previously served as mayor . from Houston.
A report released earlier this year by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and the LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative at Loyola Marymount University found that nearly 30 percent of LGBTQ women running for public office were discouraged from running because of their gender or gender identity,
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