Wt Virgia Republin lawmaker out as gay | CNN

Contents:

• NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS
• FOR ALABAMA’S ONLY GAY LAWMAKER, A POLIL DEFEAT WAS DEEPLY PERSONAL
• WT VIRGIA REPUBLIN STATE LAWMAKER OUT AS GAY
• GAY STATE LAWMAKERS HOPE GROWTH NUMBERS HELPS HUMANIZE THEIR

NOT JT FLORIDA. MORE THAN A DOZEN STAT PROPOSE SO-LLED 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILLS

Most are Democrats, and anti-Tmp fervor spurred many to Kirkpatrick for The New York TimThe number of gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr elected officials has ntued to surge, growg by about 17 percent the last year to nearly 1, 000 natnwi — more than double the number jt four years ago, acrdg to a new annual ranks now clu two ernors, two Uned Stat senators, ne members of Congrs, 189 state legislators and 56 mayors, acrdg to the report om the L. Parker was one of the first openly gay mayors of a major Amerin is the fifth year that the stute has surveyed the natn, and total L. Across the Uned Stat, at least a dozen stat are nsirg new legislatn that several ways will mirror Florida's new ntroversial law, referred to by some opponents as "Don't Say Gay.

FOR ALABAMA’S ONLY GAY LAWMAKER, A POLIL DEFEAT WAS DEEPLY PERSONAL

"The stutnalizatn of the bills is an overt form of stctural transphobia and homophobia, and go agast all public health evince creatg a safe and supportive environment for transgenr, nonbary, queer, gay and lbian youths and teachers to thrive, " Arjee Rtar, assistant profsor of epimlogy at the Universy of Washgton, told NPR. Rtar, a social epimlogist and health equy advote, said the ntroversial bills will lim all youths to live to their fullt potential, addg "there should be no room for transphobia and homophobia — pecially the classroom.

" Tennsee's HB 800 bans books and stctnal materials "that promote, normalize, support, or addrs lbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgenr issu or liftyle. Two years after Arizona lawmakers repealed a law barrg any stctn on HIV or AIDS that that "promot a homosexual liftyle, " they are close to enactg a broad remake of the state's sex tn laws wh a particular foc on LGBTQ issu. "Florida may be the first this wave, but there have been other laws the past that were lled 'no promo homo' laws, which forbid sayg posive thgs about lbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people classrooms, " Simmons told NPR.

New York Cy is lnchg a digal billboard mpaign, supportg LGBTQ visibily that will be displayed five major markets Florida for eight weeks, to lure Floridians unhappy wh their state's "Don't Say Gay" law to the Big Apple, Adams announced.

WT VIRGIA REPUBLIN STATE LAWMAKER OUT AS GAY

A judge also tossed a lawsu agast Florida’s Parental Rights Edutn law — dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by crics, which prohibs “classroom stctn by school personnel or third parti on sexual orientatn or genr inty” krgarten through eighth gra, “or a manner that is not age-appropriate or velopmentally appropriate for stunts acrdance wh state standards.

This hort is also the most diverse yet, thanks to the electn of the first three Black and openly gay reprentativ.

But ’s a rerd — and more than 30 years sce the state’s first openly gay legislator served. At Democrat Glen Maxey beme the first openly gay state reprentative 1991, when the HIV/AIDS epimic was ragg and the state’s law crimalizg homosexualy uld still be enforced. “In my first term, I had legislators who would jt yell out, ‘Don’t vote for the gay guy’s bill, ’” he relled.

GAY STATE LAWMAKERS HOPE GROWTH NUMBERS HELPS HUMANIZE THEIR

“And jt havg an openly gay person there who uld teract and make relatnships, or havg the symbol of the muny beg jt a regular hard-workg legislator, was a huge step forward for the muny. Bis Garcia, the other three hmen are also the Hoe’s first woman and men who are Black and openly gay: Reps.

Jolanda Jon was “stunned” to know that she’s the first Black and openly gay member of the Texas Hoe, havg won a special electn May.