Much ado has been made in recent weeks about blue waves (for Democrats) and pink waves (for women), but there’s another surge worth noting this election cycle: a rainbow wave of LGBTQ candidates running for office.
As of this post going up, I’ve located 65 lesbian, bisexual, queer and/or trans women candidates. Some have a national platform; others are running for local office. Some proudly declare their identities on the landing pages of their websites; others quietly and casually mention same-sex partners in interviews. Most are progressive Democrats; but we also have Republican and Libertarian representation, too. All of them are dissatisfied with Trump’s status quo. All have strong convictions. All want to make the world a better place.
Here are their stories. Write a note in the comments if you know of anyone else who should be here, and I’ll update the list. Most importantly: make sure you’re registered to vote.
[Update May 8: Thank you for your additions! The list is now up to 90 candidates.]
[Update May 9: Thank you to the readers who called me in on including straight trans women on this list. I particularly appreciated this note from Sage: “Of course, sexuality and gender identity are separate matters, but the fights for social justice are often common to the whole LGBTQ+ community. As well, at a time when we are still seeing many women not accepting trans women as ‘real’ or ‘genuine’ women, and excluding them from spaces, inclusion is a political stance.” You’re right, and I’m updating the list now. We are now up to 118 candidates.]
[Update May 10: 149 candidates.]
[Update May 13: 163 candidates and counting.]
[Update May 20: 171 candidates.]