Out Gay Black Men and Muslims Win TX Races
Christian Manuel Hayes and Venton Jones join Jolanda Jones as out members of the Texas House.
The election of two gay Black men Christian Manuel Hayes and Venton Jones to the Texas House will triple the number of openly gay Black lawmakers in the Legislature when they are sworn in next January. Hayes will represent House District 22, based in Beaumont, and Jones will represent House District 100 in Dallas.
Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, became the first openly gay Black candidate to win election to the Legislature in a special election in May. She was elected for a full term Tuesday.
“They’ve never backed down when our rights are on the line and we are confident they’ll channel this courage and compassion in Austin,” said Annise Parker, the former Houston mayor who serves as president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
Voters also elected the first two Muslim lawmakers to the Texas Legislature. Salman Bhojani won election to House District 92 in Tarrant County, and Suleman Lalani won election to House District 76 in Fort Bend County.
Both men are also immigrants. Bhojani, whose family is originally from Pakistan, moved to the United States as a teenager. Lalani came to the country in the 1990s to begin his career as a doctor.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit statewide news organization dedicated to keeping Texans informed on politics and policy issues that impact their communities. This election season, Texans around the state will turn to The Texas Tribune for the information they need on voting, election results, analysis of key races and more.
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