Illinois Elects Fourth Openly Gay State Representative, First Outside Chicago

(GayWebSource.com) New York, NY, November 7, 2012 – GLAAD today responded to historic wins for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. President Barack Obama won re-election after becoming the first acting president to voice support for marriage equality. Voters in Maine and Maryland affirmed marriage for gay and lesbian couples. This is the first time that voters in any state voted in favor of marriage equality. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin also became the first out gay U.S. Senator.

For more information visit http://glaad.org/vote

“Visibility and progress for LGBT people have grown under President Obama and now that momentum must continue,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. “LGBT people deserve full equality in every aspect of American life and President Obama, in his second term, should take every concrete step within his power to make it so.”

Mainers United for Marriage and Marylanders for Marriage Equality joined national media in declaring victory for marriage equality in their states. Results of votes for marriage equality in Washington and against a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality in Minnesota have not been announced.

“Voters in Maine and Maryland have shown that full equality for gay and lesbian people is no longer a partisan issue but an issue of human dignity,” said Graddick. “The claims made by anti-gay activists that voters would never embrace marriage for gay and lesbian couples could not be further from the truth. Across lines of politics, race, religion and gender, voters in Maryland and Maine today demonstrated that marriage equality is becoming a real part of American history.”

In Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin became the first out gay U.S. Senator.

“Tonight, Tammy Baldwin made history and shone a bright light across America.  No longer is the United States Senate a place for only a select few but for every citizen, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans,” said Graddick. “Baldwin’s victory showed what a majority of Americans already know: that candidates should be judged on their qualifications for the job and not their sexual orientation.”

For more information visit: http://glaad.org/vote