Texans passed all eight constitutional amendments that were on Tuesday’s ballot.
Proposition 1 will allow professional rodeo associations to hold charity raffles at their events. It’s not clear whether that applies to Texas Gay Rodeo Association and the International Gay Rodeo Association, which often holds its events in Texas.
Proposition 3 was the most controversial of the amendments. The state will no longer be allowed to prevent churches from meeting in person during a pandemic.
Proposition 6 allows nursing home residents to designate a caregiver who would be allowed to visit even during a pandemic. This would have prevented many nursing home residents from dying alone, but may have added to spread of the virus.
AROUND THE U.S.
The LGBT Victory Fund reported a number of wins by its endorsed candidates across the country.
In New York City, six new LGBTQ members were elected to the city council. That’s the largest number in New York’s history on a council that numbers 53 members.
While a Republican was elected governor of Virginia, Danica Roem was easily re-elected to the state’s House of Delegates. Roem was the first transgender person elected to a state legislature. She’s entering her third term. One other LGBTQ delegate was re-elected and one race is too close to call.
In Detroit, Gabriela Santiago-Romero won her election for the Detroit City Council, making her the first Latinx out LGBTQ woman elected in the entire state of Michigan and the first out woman on the council.
Christopher Coburn won his race for the Bozeman City Commission and became the first out Black person elected in the state of Montana.
Rebecca Maurer defeated a 16-year incumbent and won her election for the Cleveland City Council, becoming the first out LGBTQ woman elected to the council in that city’s history.
Dion Manley won his election for the Gahanna Jefferson School Board, making him the first trans person elected in Ohio. There are currently just five trans men serving in elected office anywhere in the country — one each in California, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, according the the Victory Fund.
Thu Nguyen won their race for Worcester City Council to become the first non-binary person elected in the state of Massachusetts. Xander Orenstein won their race for the Allegheny County Magisterial District Court in Pennsylvania to become the first non-binary person elected to a judicial position in the United States. Currently, there are nine out non-binary elected officials in the U.S. That includes one in the Oklahoma Legislature.
Don Guardian won his election to the New Jersey state House, restoring LGBTQ representation in the state legislature. New Jersey is just one of six states with no LGBTQ representation.
— David Taffet