Democrat Sharice Davids has become the first openly gay Native American member of Congress.
The former mixed martial artist is also the first Native American woman to achieve this feat.
She defeated four-term incumbent Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder with 52.8% of the vote to represent Kansas’s 3rd Congressional District.
In her victory speech, Davids said: “We have the opportunity to reset expectations about what people think when they think of Kansas.
“We know there are so many of us who welcome everyone, who see everyone and who know that everyone should have the opportunity to succeed.”
Davids – who is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, a Native American tribe in Wisconsin – wants to improve Obamacare (instead of repealing it), regulate gun laws and ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
She also thinks taxes should be reduced for those with lower incomes, and is against tax cuts for the wealthy.
Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin praised Davids after her win.
He said: “Sharice Davids made history tonight as the next congresswoman from Kansas, showing the Trump-Pence administration that LGBTQ people of color are here, visible and that our fight for equality continues to move forward.
“We look forward to working closely with Congresswoman Davids to pass common sense federal protections for LGBTQ people through the Equality Act.”
Davids’ win is undoubtedly a massive step forward for human rights and the LGBTQ community.
Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader, previously vowed to make the Equality Act a top priority if Democrats reclaimed Congress.
“It isn’t in our “For The People” agenda because it doesn’t get that specific,” Pelosi said last month at an event for John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
“But there’s one more because it’s personal for me that I really want to do. It’s called the Equality Act.
‘The Equality Act expands ending discrimination against LGBTQ people and women and adding that to the Civil Rights Act.”
Davids’ election will also provide a check on Trump’s conduct since he came into presidency.
Jared Polis has also been elected the first openly gay governor in the United States.
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