National Out to Win Day takes place annually on April 2nd & is celebrated to encourage more LGBTQ people to run for public office. The date commemorates when Kathy Kozachenko won a seat on the Ann Arbor, Michigan City Council becoming the first out LGBTQ person elected to public office in the United States in 1974. Each April 2nd the LGBTQ Victory Institute celebrates National Out to Win Day to honor her legacy by encouraging more LGBTQ people to run for office in her footsteps. Andrea Jenkins, Minneapolis City Council Vice President & the first out trans woman elected to a major city council stated, “As a queer identified, Black woman of Trans experience, I know that when I am in the room the conversation changes. So, as an elected official not only do the conversations change, the policies change as well. In my role I am able to educate my colleagues & the broader community on how harmful these legislative attacks are for trans youth. I’m able to propose & pass a ban on conversion therapy, to vote to support Operation Fast Track that promotes PREP to help end AIDS. These are the types of issues you can impact as an elected official. If you care about your community & want to see equity & justice for all people, then becoming an elected official is the job for you. Remember, when we run, we win.” The LGBTQ Victory Institute works to achieve & sustain global equality through leadership development, training & convening to increase the number, expand the diversity & ensure the success of openly LGBTQ elected & appointed officials at all levels of government. For More Info…
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