Now that Danica Roem is headed to the Virginia House of Delegates, LGBTQ equality has been achieved in U.S. politics, right? One report from the LGBTQ political advocacy group Victory Institute strongly disagrees. According to its research, 21,307 politicians still need to be elected into office before LGBTQ people will reach full political representation across the U.S.
The report, which was originally covered by the Daily Beast, reveals only 448 elected officials serving in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ, with the overwhelming majority found across local governments.
The report also argues that queer politicians who do serve in office largely end up identifying as white, cisgender, gay, and male. In particular, 356 are white, 51 are Latinx, and only 23 are Black. And just six are openly transgender, not including Roem and her fellow trans candidates who won this year’s general election.
“The severe underrepresentation of LGBTQ people in elected positions—especially for LGBTQ people of color and transgender people—is an urgent call to arms for LGBTQ leaders to run for office and be our voices in the halls of power,” Victory Institute’s president Aisha C. Moodie explained, the Daily Beast reports.
LGBTQ issues remain more prevalent in politics than ever due to sweeping discriminatory bills as well as attempts by the Trump administration to shut out LGBTQ voices. Sadly, it may take a long time for the U.S. to elect the 21, 307 candidates needed to reach LGBTQ equality.
H/T the Daily Beast