Big LGBT Wins Last Night

As President Obama delivered his acceptance speech late last night (well, technically this morning), championing equality for everyone – including the LGBT community – there were other important wins by those who have also been either openly gay or openly progressive about everything from marriage equality to workplace protection and repealing DOMA.

Here in Pennsylvania, Brian Sims become the state’s first openly gay legislator. He’ll be in Harrisburg starting early next year. We knew this was coming since he faced no opposition after winning the primary against longtime Democrat Babette Josephs.

The attack ads against Kathleen Kane didn’t seem to work either. She’ll become Pennsylvania’s first female (and democratic) attorney general. Bob Casey also won a second senate term, beating the Tea Party’s Tom Smith who spent millions on ads blasting the incumbent.

Tammy Baldwin become the first openly gay person elected to senate in Paul Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin. Other openly gay candidates who won last night: New York’s Sean Patrick Maloney – the second openly gay man ever to win for Congress; Stephen Skinner, the first openly gay candidate to win for the West Virginia state legislature; State Rep. Mark Pocan succeeds Rep. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin; and Rep. David Cicilline was re-elected in Rhode Island.

Even the Republican who backed marriage equality was re-elected in New York.

Among the states voting on marriage equality, Maryland affirmed same-sex marriage at the polls. And so did Maine and Washington State. Perhaps this is the memo conservatives need from the American people: Give up trying to ban the LGBT community from marrying. Most Americans seem to think it’s a right worth voting for.

Here’s Obama’s acceptance speech: