Yes! Jalen McKee-Rodriguez Is The First Openly Gay Black Man To Be Elected In Texas

This is amazing!

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez has made history in the state of Texas. He has become the first openly gay Black man to be elected in the state.

It has been reported that Rodriguez, 26 had defeated the incumbent, Jada Andrews- Sullivan with 63 percent of the vote. Rodriguez, who once worked for his opponent, had resigned from her office due to the “retaliation he faced after telling her about issues with another staff member’s treatment of him as an openly gay man.” 

McKee-Rodriguez made a statement about his win. “A lot of people said that District 2 wouldn’t be ready for a candidate like me. Would District 2 be ready for a young gay candidate? Is Texas ready for a gay Black man to be elected anywhere and to any position?” 

He continued, “And so I think what we proved is that everyone deserves representation and if you have the right motives and if you have the right passions and if you’re a good listener, the people will trust that. I hope this opens doors for a lot of people.” 

Congratulations Jalen!