Nevada Republican Could Become Nation’s First Transgender State Legislator

Samantha Lachman | Huffington Post | June 12, 2014

A transgender woman clinched the Republican nomination to represent a Nevada Assembly seat in a race that could have national implications.

Lauren Scott, the executive director of Equality Nevada, won 58 percent of the vote Tuesday in the state Assembly’s 30th District.

If Scott wins in November, she could be the nation’s first openly transgender state legislator, though another transgender woman, Dana Beyer, is running in Maryland’s Democratic primary for a state Senate seat and so could also win that distinction.

Winning in the legislative district, which encompasses parts of Democratic-leaning Reno, could prove to be a challenge. However, Scott thinks her background — she used to be a Democrat, registering as a Republican in 2011 — may help her in her bid to unseat the Democratic incumbent, State Assemblyman Michael Sprinkle.

“I have always been a moderate and I am willing to work with Democrats and Republicans to find solutions to the problems facing Nevada today,” Scott said in a statement after her victory.

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Quinn Reversal, Meant to Help Her, Now Hurts

English: This is a headshot photograph taken of New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn by her photographer William Alatriste (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MICHAEL BARBARO and DAVID M. HALBFINGER | New York Times | September 1, 2013

There was no wiggle room. No equivocation.

On a December day in 2007, Christine C. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, called herself utterly immovable on the question of overturning New York’s term limits law.

“I am today taking a firm and final position,” she declared. “I will not support the repeal or change of term limits through any mechanism, and I will oppose aggressively any attempt by anyone to make any changes in the term limits law.”

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PA: Eric Papenfuse makes bid to split LGBT vote for Mayor of Harrisburg

Donald Gilliland | dgilliland@pennlive.com  |The Patriot-News | April 8, 2013

Dan Miller was the obvious front-runner going into Monday night’s mayoral candidates’ endorsement forum for the Capital Region Stonewall Democrats.

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Harrisburg City Controller Dan MillerPennLive.com, file 

As Miller told a welcoming crowd, he’s been working for gay and lesbian civil rights for 30 years.

And now he’s two elections away from becoming the first openly gay city mayor in Pennsylvania.

“Not only am I openly gay, I’m the best candidate,” said Miller. “Harrisburg is in a financial crisis, and we need a financial professional” in the mayor’s office.

Miller told the crowd at Stage on Herr that he’s the only candidate who’s ready to meet the financial challenges of the city head-on “and get the best deal for the citizens of Harrisburg.”

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Was Marco McMillian Killed in Mississippi Because He Was Black or Gay?

Rev Irene Monroe | Bilerico | March 24, 2013

Marco McMillian was a trailblazer and the pride of the Mississippi Delta. In 2004, when he was in his 20s, Ebony hailed him as one of the nation’s top “30 up-and-coming African-American leaders” under 30. And when he was in his 30s, the Mississippi Business Journal recognized him as one of the top 40 leaders under 40. But McMillian’s life was mysteriously cut short at age 34.

As an openly gay African-American candidate running for the mayoral seat in Clarkdale, Miss., McMillian was quietly signaling that neither his race nor his sexual orientation would abort his aspirations. On McMillian’s personal Facebook page there is a photo of him posing with President Obama. His campaign motto, Moving Clarksdale forward,” was a challenge to the town as well as the state. If there is any place to challenge the intolerant conventions of Mississippi, Clarksdale, the Delta’s gem, known as “a place where openness and hospitality transcend all barriers and visitors are embraced as family” and the birthplace of blues music, is that place.

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Burns is 1st to run unopposed 3 times in row in Fort Worth

ANNA WAUGH  |  Dallas Voice | March 22, 2103

BIRTHDAY BASH  | Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns speaks during his Birthday Celebration and Campaign Kick-off in February. The event raised $82,000 for his campaign coffers. (Courtesy of Ralph Lauer)

FORT WORTH — Municipal elections aren’t until May 11, but openly gay City Councilman Joel Burns has already won his District 9 race.

Burns, 44, had an opponent, real estate broker Graham Brizendine, who withdrew his candidacy before they drew for placements on the ballot. The city secretary declared Burns the winner and canceled the election in his district since Mayor Betsy Price is also unopposed. The council adopted an ordinance this week declaring Burns and other unopposed members the winners.

Burns, who was first elected in 2007 to complete the remainder of Wendy Davis’ term in District 9, ran unopposed in 2009 and 2011.

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With a Tour of the City, Quinn Declares Her Candidacy for Mayor

MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM | New York Times | March 10, 2013

When the bus driver in the Bronx called out her name, Christine C. Quinn did not hesitate. The City Council speaker — and, as of Sunday, official candidate for mayor — bounded up the vehicle’s steps and gave him a warm handshake as passengers, unbothered by the delay, began to applaud.

“She’s got my vote,” the driver, William Adams, said as he started to ease his Bx5 bus back into traffic. “And everybody that gets on my bus.”

It was a scene nearly unimaginable in this buttoned-up era of City Hall: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, after all, is not known for greeting New Yorkers with an enthusiastic public display of affection.

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Burned, Beaten and Left for Dead: How Openly Gay Mayoral Candidate Was Allegedly Killed

Alex Kane | AlterNet | March 5, 2013

The openly gay mayoral candidate from Clarksdale, Mississippi who was found dead last week was burned and beaten, according to his family.

The  Associated Press reports that candidate Marco McMillian’s family received the information from the county coroner. McMillian’s godfather, Carter Womack, told the AP that “the coroner told family members that someone dragged McMillian’s body under a fence and left it near a Mississippi River levee last week.”

“We feel that this was not a random act of violence based on the condition of the body when it was found,” McMillian’s campaign said in a statement.

McMillian’s death received national attention because his campaign said he was the first openly gay candidate for public office in the state. As  AlterNet’s Steven Hsieh noted, “reports characterize McMillan as a rising star with an already impressive record. The candidate served for four years as International Executive Director for the historically black Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. A  statement released by the fraternity notes that McMillan ‘was responsible for securing the first federal contract to raise the awareness of the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS on communities of color.’”

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Man Charged in Slaying of Out Miss. Mayoral Candidate

Holbrook Mohr | Edge Boston | March 1, 2013

A 22-year-old man was charged with murder Thursday in the death of a mayoral candidate, whose body was found near a river levee in the Mississippi Delta this
week.

The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that Lawrence Reed of Shelby was charged in the death of Marco McMillian, 34, a candidate for mayor of Clarksdale.

Campaign spokesman Jarod Keith says McMillian’s bid was noteworthy because he may have been the first openly gay man to be a viable candidate for public office in Mississippi.

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Homicide suspected in death of first openly gay Mississippi mayoral candidate

Stephen C. Webster | Raw Story | February 28, 2013

The first-ever openly gay candidate for mayor in the state of Mississippi was found dead near a river levy on Wednesday morning, and police told The Associated Press they believe someone killed him.

Marco McMillian (pictured left), 34, was running for mayor of Clarksdale as a Democrat. Police did not indicate the cause of death.

Authorities were searching for McMillian after discovering on Tuesday that his vehicle had been hit by another car but he was missing, leaving behind the 22-year-old driver Lawrence Reed, who was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

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In New Poll, Christine Quinn Has Her Biggest Lead Yet In Race For Mayor

David Mixner | David Mixner | February 15, 2013

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has opened up her widest lead yet in her bid to become the Mayor of New York City.  She leads her nearest challenger by 24 points in the NY1/Marist College Poll.  In the Democratic primary the latest numbers have:

Christine Quinn:  37%

William Thompson:  13%

Bill de Blasio:  12%

John Liu:  9%

Sal Albanese:  2%

Undecided:  26%

A huge 65% of New Yorkers have a favorable opinion of Speaker Quinn with only 17% having an unfavorable opinion.

In the general election, the Speaker outpaces the likely Republican nominee by a huge margin:

Christine Quinn:  64%

Joe Lhota:  18%

Undecided:  18%

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