First openly gay mayor of Del R talks about the challeng he faced office | WOAI

Contents:

• DEL R ELECTS OPENLY GAY MAYOR
• FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR OF DEL R TALKS ABOUT THE CHALLENG HE FACED OFFICE
• TEXAS TOWN ELECTS GAY AIR FORCE VETERAN KNOWN FOR WEARG HIGH HEELS
•  MEET BNO RALPHY LOZANO MAYOR L R TEXAS FOUR CH HIGH HEELS GAY LGBT MUNY
• AFTER LANDSLI VICTORY, DEL R’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR PREPAR FOR OFFICE
• VOTERS DEL R, TEXAS ELECT GAY MAYOR
• GAY MAYOR OF DEL R, TEXAS STUNS AND STUNTS HBO’S ‘WE’RE HERE’
• AFTER LANDSLI VICTORY, DEL R’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR PREPAR FOR OFFICE
• TEXAS BORRTOWN ELECTS OPENLY GAY MAYOR WH A PENCHANT FOR HIGH HEELS AND GOVERNMENT ACUNTABILY

DEL R ELECTS OPENLY GAY MAYOR

The South Texas town of Del R, populatn 35, 998, elected s first openly gay officeholr on Saturday when Bno Lozano won the mayoral race.

Acrdg to Hoton’s OutSmart Magaze, as of January there were at least 52 LGBT ndidat across the state, chasg everythg om small-town mayor gigs to state reprentative seats to the ernor’s had bee well known Del R for his work to clean up the borr town’s waterways, acrdg to Into, an onle magaze produced by the gay onle datg app Grdr, and he cid to n for mayor 2016. Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valz, who is openly gay, announced her tentn to n for ernor early January and has long been nsired the ont-nner to challenge Governor Greg Abbott November.

One of Valz’s fellow Democratic gubernatorial ndidat was Jefey Payne, an openly gay owner of a gay bar Dallas.

FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR OF DEL R TALKS ABOUT THE CHALLENG HE FACED OFFICE

”The Del R episo, which was released Monday and filmed June durg Pri Month, followed Mayor Bno Lozano, Del R’s first openly gay elected official, and two LGBTQ+ muny members -- Joey and Esael -- as they prepared for the performance of a lifetime drag ont of their loved on and the town’s rints.

On Saturday, 62 percent of voters Del R ― loted about 110 wt of San Anton ― elected gay Air Force veteran Bno “Ralphy” Lozano as s 35-year-old Lozano is both the town’s youngt mayor and first openly gay official. He prevly served as a secury law enforcement officer the Air Force and then was an activist who worked to help clean up lol waterways, acrdg to Although Texas is known for s nservative polics and Republins domate statewi offic, Lozano’s sexual orientatn was not an issue durg the mayoral mpaign the cy of about 41, 000 addn, there was barely a peep when he wore high heels to march the cy’s Veteran’s Day para last year ― jt a sgle Facebook post om a non-supporter who attacked him, acrdg to said he served the Air Force durg the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward gays, and cid not to re-enlist bee he was “not ashamed of who I am. ”Instead, he took spiratn om prev generatns of gays who ma possible for people like him to n for office whout hidg who he is.

”Lozano’s electn is fely a sign of progrs, but Del R, home to Lghl Air Force base, is by no means a gay mec.

TEXAS TOWN ELECTS GAY AIR FORCE VETERAN KNOWN FOR WEARG HIGH HEELS

The town lacks a place where LGBTQ lols n meet or get accs to servic dited to their particular needs, and the clost gay bar is nearly three hours away, acrdg to Gay-Friendly Plac On The PlaPopular the CommunyYou May Like. The Pri of Del RUned StatDocumentary10 MsThis May, Bno “Ralphy” Lozano beme not only the youngt-ever mayor of Del R, Texas, but also the cy’s first openly gay elected official.

In this short documentary, meet the groundbreakg polician whose landsli victory over a middle-aged cumbent meant this borr town of 36, 000 elected an openly gay mayor before San Francis or New York did.

Beg the youngt mayor elected the history of his town, Lozano has prevly worked as a flight attendant, served the armed forc, and is gay. We don’t have a gayborhood. A part of me is gay.

 MEET BNO RALPHY LOZANO MAYOR L R TEXAS FOUR CH HIGH HEELS GAY LGBT MUNY

When you thk of Texas, homosexualy seems like a taboo society, even though is allowed by the law.

Beg gay is a big advantage for his town and for himself, he says.

AFTER LANDSLI VICTORY, DEL R’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR PREPAR FOR OFFICE

Lrdale’s recently elected gay mayor weathered attack ads which picted him as a ventriloquist dummy makp, Garza ngratulated his succsor this week on a well-n mpaign.

The biggt challenge that lays ahead for the new mayor isn’t beg an openly gay man a town that’s as Catholic as is Lato; an timated 86 percent of Del R’s populatn is nonwhe.

VOTERS DEL R, TEXAS ELECT GAY MAYOR

Throughout his time the mayor’s office, Lozano, as Del R’s first openly gay elected official, has champned LBGTQI+ visibily. “He was cryg tears of joy, bee not only had I ma an impact the polil sphere by beg Del R’s first openly gay mayor, openly gay elected official, but I also brought Pri here, and he had grown up an era when that was hidn, when they were hidg amongst everybody else.

The Pri events and the muny by and large embracg their gay mayor set the stage for the HBO show “We’re Here” to film an episo Del R, Lozano said.

GAY MAYOR OF DEL R, TEXAS STUNS AND STUNTS HBO’S ‘WE’RE HERE’

The Cy of Del R, Texas, elected a gay man as mayor durg s May 5 municipal electn acrdg to unofficial rults published by the Del R News-Herald on May 6.

Bno Lozano, Del R’s first openly gay elected official, weled the HBO team wh a key to the cy at a Cy Council meetg June, Gay Pri Month, which was filmed for the show. — none of which are known as a hot spot for gay muni. Lozano, a flight attendant for a major airle, is fortable his own sk as an openly gay first-time polician.

AFTER LANDSLI VICTORY, DEL R’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR PREPAR FOR OFFICE

Shangela: You have a mayor, an elected official, who won as an out loud and proud gay person, and I thk that showed another layer of Del R. Although they’re g the terms “like that” and ’s not fully clive, you have the gay mayor.

TEXAS BORRTOWN ELECTS OPENLY GAY MAYOR WH A PENCHANT FOR HIGH HEELS AND GOVERNMENT ACUNTABILY

Bee a lot of tim a lot of the plac we go Del R, they uldn’t say gay.

It wasn’t their geic, DNA makp to say “gay. Two of Del R’s stori volved g out: durg filmg, Joey me out as non-bary to her parents and Esael me out as gay to his parents.

You don’t get the leisure of jt g out as gay, but they e out as gay, and then all of a sudn you’re g out as a femme boy, then next thg you know you’re g out as non-bary. Marx: I uld tell om the send I talked to Esael, he jt wanted to meet more gay people.