Key takeaways:
- Fabian Nelson, a 38-year-old realtor from Byram, won the Democratic primary election runoff in Mississippi, making history as the first openly gay state legislator.
- Nelson has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights in Mississippi and has been a part of the LGBTQ community since he was a teenager.
- If elected, Nelson will become the first openly gay state legislator in Mississippi and the first openly gay black man to serve in any state legislature in the United States.
The state of Mississippi has made history by electing its first openly gay state legislator. Fabian Nelson, a 38-year-old realtor from Byram, won the Democratic primary election runoff on Tuesday, beating out 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 Aug. 8 primary. A local pastor finished a distant third and did not advance to the runoff.
Nelson has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights in Mississippi and has been a part of the LGBTQ community since he was a teenager. He has said that he has wanted to be a state legislator since he visited the state capitol as a high school student.
“I’m just so proud to be a part of this historic moment,” Nelson said in a statement. “I’m proud to be a part of a movement that is changing the face of Mississippi politics.”
Nelson will face Republican candidate Robert Foster in the November general election. If elected, Nelson will become the first openly gay state legislator in Mississippi and the first openly gay black man to serve in any state legislature in the United States.
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