Mississippi will have its first-ever openly gay state legislator after a House candidate won his Democratic primary election runoff recently. Fabian Nelson, a 38-year-old realtor from Byram, prevailed over Roshunda Harris-Allen, an education professor at Tougaloo College and alderwoman in Byram. The race to represent the House district in the south Jackson metro area was decided in a runoff after neither Nelson nor Allen received a majority vote in the August 8 primary. A local pastor finished a distant third and did not advance to the runoff. Nelson's victory comes on the heels of a historic wave of restrictions passed by Republican-controlled legislatures targeting the rights of transgender people. LGBTQ+ advocates say they've seen a record number of measures aimed at their community in 2023. Republicans did not field a candidate for the general election, so Nelson will go on to represent the district. He will be sworn in before the next legislative session in January. His win marks the fulfillment of a goal he's had since visiting the Capitol on an elementary school field trip and telling his teacher he'd sit on the House floor one day. In an interview after Nelson's victory, Rob Hill, state director of the Human Rights Campaign's Mississippi chapter said that the victory sends a message that the majority of people reject animosity against the LGBTQ+ community.
After Primary Win, Will Mississippi Elect The State’s First Openly Gay Lawmaker
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