Candidates who are gay or LGBT-friendly are winning over voters
- Emily Pippin – SDGLN Intern | Wed, 05/19/2010
Gay men and women and the LGBT allies seem to be making strides in the realm of politics. From Kentucky to Oregon, gays are making an impact on today’s politics.
In Kentucky
An openly gay 24-year-old running for the Kentucky House of Representatives has won the Democratic primary.
Matthew Vanderpool beat a 50-year-old Air Force Veteran to win the primary.
Vanderpool dropped out of college after he was hit by a drunken boat driver while jet skiing.
He downplayed his sexual orientation during the campaign.
“I am not the gay candidate. I am the candidate who happens to be gay,” he told United We Stand.
His opponent, Stan Lee, has been described by LGBT groups as “Kentucky’s homophobic nightmare,” according to Chicago Pride.
In Oregon
An Oregon appeals court judge seen as gay-friendly has won an Oregon State Supreme Court seat.
Jack Landau wrote a history-changing opinion that extended gay and lesbian rights in Oregon.
In the case of Tanner v OHSU, Landau ruled that when providing health care benefits, employers cannot discriminate against gay and lesbian couples.
Landau, who has served as an Oregon appeals court judge for 17 years, beat administrative law judge Allan J. Arlow. The seat opened when Justice W. Michael Gillette retired.
In Ohio
Nickie Antonio’s only opponent in the Ohio state House race has dropped out, leaving her the only candidate.
She will be the first openly LGBT state lawmaker in Ohio.
Antonio is still up for election, but will be the only candidate on the ballot for this seat.
“Hopefully, once the first [openly gay] thing is done, there doesn’t need to be so much of a focus on that. How to best fix a hole in the budget — that’s not an issue where sexual orientation makes a difference,” Antonio told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
She currently sits on the Lakewood City Council and won the Democratic primary on May 4.
Ohio will no longer be on the list of states with no openly LGBT lawmakers once she is seated. There are 18 states left on the list.
In Iowa
Southern California political consultant Fred Karger is on the road and exploring the possibility of becoming a candidate for the presidential nomination from the Republican Party.
The openly gay Californian is unofficially campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.
Fred visited Iowa and stopped in New Hampshire earlier this month. He has planned on people not knowing who he is.
“Fred Who?” are the words on the logo at the top of his website. His answer is “Fred Karger.”
Karger is the first openly gay person to seek the presidential nomination of either major party.
