'Honored to rry our flag.' First gay mayor of Maplewood overme nversn therapy before livg proud

Contents:

• TRENTON’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR WISH TO IMPROVE CY FOR LGBTQ+ MUNY
• N.J. LAWMAKER UNR FIRE AFTER HOMOPHOBIC RANT ABOUT GAY MAYOR
• REED GCRA ELECTED CAPAL CY’S FIRST OPENLY-GAY MAYOR
• COUNCILWOMAN APOLOGIZ FOR LLG GAY NEW JERSEY MAYOR 'PEDOPHILE' PROFANE RANT
• 'HONORED TO RRY OUR FLAG.' FIRST GAY MAYOR OF MAPLEWOOD OVERME NVERSN THERAPY BEFORE LIVG PROUD
• MAPLEWOOD, NJ WEL FIRST OPENLY GAY PUTY MAYOR
• TRENTON’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR AN EARLY BACKER OF MEDIL MARIJUANA, MARRIAGE EQUALY
• REHOBOTH’S GALLERY 50 TO HOST SHOWS BY TWO GAY ARTISTS

TRENTON’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR WISH TO IMPROVE CY FOR LGBTQ+ MUNY

The Human Rights Campaign ranked Trenton as the least gay-iendly cy New Jersey ls than 10 years ago. Today, the cy is led by an openly gay mayor who is workg to move the cy forward.

Gcra says he regrets nothg about g out and says that is an honor to not only be the first openly gay state assemblyman, but also Trenton’s first openly gay mayor. “It’s heartwarmg when you get emails om parents and young gay kids alike. After Ga Genove won electn to the Long Hill Township Commtee 2004, homophob lashed of flyers were strewn about Town Hall this nservative Morris County municipaly falsely allegg that the openly gay Genove ma sexual advanc to a mor.

In a separate cint, a man slapped an anti-gay sticker on her opposn did not stop Genove's mtee lleagu om appotg her mayor 2006, which ma her New Jersey’s first out mayor. ”Fifteen years after Genove’s electn, the landspe has shifted for elected officials who intify as gay, lbian, bisexual or transgenr. New Jersey has eight openly gay mayors, the U.

N.J. LAWMAKER UNR FIRE AFTER HOMOPHOBIC RANT ABOUT GAY MAYOR

Congrs has 10 out members and Pete Buttigieg, the gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is pollg the top five of the 23 Democratic printial memorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprisg that served as a talyst for the LGBT rights movement, and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey spoke to gay elected officials about how the mpaign trail is different now om how was for Genove, what ’s like as an out ndidate to ask Print Donald Tmp supporters for their vote and why party boss stand the way of more LGBT people wng electns. ”Amerin voters first elected an openly gay person to office 1974 — not San Francis’s Harvey Milk, but the lser-known Kathy Kozachenko.

At least 41 of them intify as gay, lbian, bisexual or queer. "Tim Etace, 62, an ex-assemblyman who ma history as the first out gay person New Jersey voters elected mayor, said that if you unt the number of closeted gay people servg elective office, the unt of 41 would double.

REED GCRA ELECTED CAPAL CY’S FIRST OPENLY-GAY MAYOR

“There are muni New Jersey, believe or not, that are not very gay-iendly. ”Runng gay GOP townsAmerins have bee more acceptg of gay people, but many rema hostile to key LGBT 37% of Republins approve of same-sex marriage, acrdg to a March 2019 Pew Rearch Center poll.

Voters there also elected five gay people to s six-person uncil and a gay Republin mayor, Mike Nohilly. “Gay and Republin … you don’t really fd those two quali one person, ” Nohilly he readi to n for a third term November wh no Democratic opposn, Nohilly, 55, said beg gay has "certaly never been a hdrance Interlaken. He lled the pri flag important for gay visibily, but said should be borough rints who prs for to be flown.

Nearly 5% of the populatn intifi as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr, acrdg to a 2018 Gallup New Jersey, the domance of polil boss is one of the reasons for this unrreprentatn, LGBT advot areas of the state unr one-party ntrol, party boss provi the fundg, endorsements and proment ballot posn that often guarantee a victory at the polls. "The unty polil parti New Jersey, they anot their ndidat advance; they vet them for the voters, " said liberal, gay activist Jay Lasser. "Growg up New Jersey, I never imaged beg so fortably gay a profsnal and a polil way, " said DeF, 36.

COUNCILWOMAN APOLOGIZ FOR LLG GAY NEW JERSEY MAYOR 'PEDOPHILE' PROFANE RANT

” She se only a rise ahead, as more and more gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr ndidat realize that the barriers that once existed have been broken down. A New Jersey uncilwoman is unr fire after llg the first openly gay mayor of Trenton, the state's pal, a “pedophile” and “b--ch-ass” a profane and homophobic outburst durg a ronavis nference ll this weekend. But Councilwoman Vghn chose to lnch to a vrlic attack full of homophobic slurs, false accatns, and hateful ments, ” Gcra wrote.

“Mayor Reed Gcra has faced adversi servg not only as the first LGBTQ mayor of the state but as the first openly LGBTQ member of the state legislature and has had to repeatedly beat back homophobic remarks like Vghn’s, ” Jon Oliveira, a spokman for Garn State Equaly, a statewi LGBTQ advocy group, told NBC News. “Councilwoman Vghn relied on the olst and uglit of stereotyp to lnch her homophobic tira agast Mayor Gcra — much as she did fendg anti-Semic ments last September, ” Parker said a statement. Gcra me out back 2006 as the state of New Jersey’s first openly-gay legislator.

12 years later, he will bee Trenton’s first openly-gay mayor. Exclamatn PotMcGreevey asss how the world has changed sce 2004, when he rigned after g out as gay, a nversatn only on CBS News New York.

'HONORED TO RRY OUR FLAG.' FIRST GAY MAYOR OF MAPLEWOOD OVERME NVERSN THERAPY BEFORE LIVG PROUD

A New Jersey uncilwoman facg lls to rign over a homophobic rant directed at the pal cy's mayor has apologized. Official photosIn a ronavis nference ll on May 2, Vghn lled Reed Gcra, Trenton's first openly gay mayor, a "b--ch-ass" and a "pedophile.

MAPLEWOOD, NJ WEL FIRST OPENLY GAY PUTY MAYOR

Mayor Dean Dafis is the first openly gay mayor elected the town of Maplewood. ” He noted a “machismo” wh the culture and how he is a gay nversn therapy survivor. ”The law qutn requir that all public middle and high schools “clu stctn, and adopt stctnal materials, that accurately portray polil, enomic, and social ntributns of persons wh disabili and lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people.

TRENTON’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR AN EARLY BACKER OF MEDIL MARIJUANA, MARRIAGE EQUALY

For Pri Month, the first openly gay mayor of Maplewood is sharg the difficult journey he went through before beg able to live his tth and bee an advote for Dean Dafis speaks proudly to be a part of the LGBTQ+ muny, but he says wasn't always that way. “We know that reprentatn matters, we know reprentatn is really important, so I'm honored to rry our flag, ” Dafis om an old-world Greek fay, he says beg gay wasn't talked about openly. The electn of Don Guardian to the state Assembly will give New Jersey s first openly gay legislator more than three years.

Guardian’s w also end New Jersey’s rerd as one of jt six stat whout LGBT reprentatn at the state level, acrdg to the Victory Fund, a PAC voted to boostg the ranks of openly gay electn officials.

“Fifty years ago, gay and lbian were somethg that was hidn.

REHOBOTH’S GALLERY 50 TO HOST SHOWS BY TWO GAY ARTISTS

You didn’t go out, and if you did go out, you had a book that told you where was safe to have a meal or to go to a club or to even stay at a hotel that was gay-iendly. Only two other openly gay members have ever held legislative seats New Jersey. Trenton Mayor Reed Gcra, a former assemblyman, bee the first after he me out 2006, and former Assemblyman Tim Etace (D-Bergen) beme the send openly gay member after his 2012 swearg-.