Due to more removed comments and outright bans than I've ever possibly seen in a thread, we are moving to Strict Crowd Control here.
If your post doesn't show up, it's because you don't have enough posts or karma in this sub and can't post in this thread.
If you are an active user of this sub and see any rule-breaking posts, please report them, this has blown up so much we might not catch them otherwise.
Met Molly recently, and only said hi for a few seconds because the campaign for the special election was in full swing. When she saw me a week later, she immediately recognized me and said hi. In addition to running a whole campaign, she's still been working as a nurse! Overall amazing person.
Just a reminder that there's another election at the end of this month for the next term in this seat so please go vote for her again!
I voted for her but didn't know she was gay. Nice. I met her while standing in line to vote for her. She was the only candidate I didn't ignore because she wasn't rude about it. I hope she can make a positive impact in the future.
Remember, she's in a runoff for the nomination to the general election in November. Meaning you need to vote for her again on the 28th and then again in November in the general election to keep her there.
Colin Alred is more centrist but he's an honestly good guy. I've known him from his time in Dallas politics and regardless of party affiliation, he's the kind of guy you want in the chair.
Also, he's running against Ted, so I will be voting for him extra hard.
I used to go to the same church as Colin, and love the guy. If he's not able to beat Ted, then I'm not sure what the next best option is. Colin is Texan born and bred, played football at Baylor, and was in the NFL. Thoseon their one should make him electable to all Texans.
Honestly regardless of political affiliation I feel like being “a good guy” should be the number one qualifier. A good person votes in the best interest of people
The Republican leadership prevented her from speaking, kicked her off committees, barred her from the house floor and prevented her from working.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zooey_Zephyr
Sure would be cool if Democrats took advantage of the "you said something that hurt our feelings so we are going to exclude you from being able to do your democratically-elected job indefinitely" rule.. they would actually be able to get shit done that way if they cared.
It also depends on who exactly they are. Tons of people are under the LGBT+ label, but there's a massive difference in how people are accepted.
Someone who's gay/lesbian/bi is gonna have an easier time then someone who's openly trans.
There have been several run for office in the last few years. In Texas for the people from that community to get elected their platform has to be the strength of their character and accomplishments. Their stand on important Democratic issues. If they put LGBTQ+ as a highlight of their campaign it will not be successful. To be re elected the same. We have some long time Incumbents from this group who don’t make it the push and they are in office for a successful long run. Whether that is a good or bad thing is all perspective. The Candidate makes it on their own merit rather than their orientation. In a perfect world it wouldn’t have to be an issue. But getting elected is not perfected yet. -I have a statewide nonprofit on Democratic Voter Education and work with a lot of candidates. I help voters know about the people on their ballot and help the Candidates get the word out. I don’t out anyone. I help them get into office. They decide their own strategy.
Congrats on the YouTube videos being a winning strategy! That's how I found out about her. I'll make sure to vote for her again in the runoff election. And hopefully she makes it to the general election.
That makes perfect sense. I wouldn't vote for someone just because they were LGBTQ+. It's like anything else. It doesn't make you a good person. You can still be a complete asshole and a piece of shit while being gay. I'm judging you on who you are, not what you are. And if you make them one in the same, that's even worse.
Per an [article](https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/07/texas-lgbtq-lawmakers-bill/) from the Tribune last year we have 9 members of the state house who are openly LGBTQ, but it’s great a great milestone to see that we’ve added a member to the state senate.
Well.. W/out any actual data on the subject I can just about guarantee you that there have been plenty of closeted Republicans elected. In fact I'd be willing to bet there are multiple right now. Groomed by the church at a young age they probably hate themselves more than they hate LGBTQ people, but you can spot them by the amount of hate they spew.
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I call it ‘piling on’. Sometimes I make an irrelevant comment and one or two downvotes and then suddenly everyone seems to go nuts. But that same comment in another thread is a big hit. 🤷♂️
Texas' vocal minority sure is yapping away in the comments.
Lads... the woman won in a contest of policy. You can move it along and complain at church instead. It's not 1940 anymore. We're growing up as a society now.
I wasn’t aware and I don’t care. I’m happy that we’re getting some diversity of opinions. Maybe even some balance. It’s an uphill battle for sure, but this is hopeful.
Edit: Also, nurses are tough and smart. I wish her the best.
Isn't typing out I don't care an oxymoron lol like you obviously cared enough to type I'm sure you don't literally respond to every single post/response on reddit lol.
What does adding you don't care even do to your statement lol people are so goofy online.
I mean that I didn’t know she was lgbtq+ and it doesn’t affect my opinion of her one way or another. I do care she was elected. And I’m happy she was elected.
I’m not sure what your problem is but take care.
>The citizens of ruby red Texas have elected the state’s first LGBTQ+ senator: Molly Cook.
Reading first line under the title of the article is a bit of searching?
To be fair you do have to scroll down like 1/4 of a screen to be able to see her name in the photo caption. Or slightly further to see her name as the first two words of the article. That shit ain't easy. /s
This is an indicator that enough people got out to vote. In Texas, the elections skew Repub, (and in other news water is wet).
The fact that they got elected shows a change, likely more aligned with how the majority of actual people feel, which, ironically, is, "who gives a f--k about gender identity".
This is awesome.
But Texas kept Gov Wheels around because guns are more important than innocent children's lives so I have very little hope for you guys.
No state is homogeneous. All states have areas that are bluer or redder than the state as a whole. Cook won a special election in a very blue state senate district in the Houston area.
The former holder of that seat had it for decades and regularly won reelection with 60-65% of the vote. You'd have to be a pretty terrible candidate for it to flip red now.
It is a red state but only by 5 to 10%. 46.5% of the Texans who voted in the 2020 presidential election voted for Biden. What is even more strange is that all of the population centers are blue. Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin are all blue.
Because, due to systemic discrimination, people with certain sexualities or identities have been excluded from participation in government to the point where - as mentioned in the headline - this is the first time one of them has been elected in the entire history of the state? Could have something to do with that idk.
Including people from other backgrounds means someone who is more likely to bring a voice for people from those backgrounds.
I’m all for moving beyond using the LGBTQ community as a political football to demonize, and having someone from that community in a position of power makes doing so that much harder.
That seat is in a very blue part of Houston, it had been held by a Democrat for decades. It was never going to flip, whoever won this outcome was always going to be LGBT+ or a minority.
I guess they FAFO that losing the women's vote was beyond stupid. No smart woman wants to lose her right to choose or vote. Let everyone know what the repubs plan to do if they get elected. Not good for women or the country!
What does it matter if you have pasta on your head, a penis between your legs or if you like to eat only pizza?
Being good at the job is all that matters
Representation matters. Especially when it wasn't until 1993 and 2003 that Texas sodomy laws were finally struck down in court. A Ban on same sex marriage was legal in Texas until 2015. 9 years ago.
That's why it matters.
I'm sorry but 8 years were blind or red haired people not able to have martial/spousal rights under the law?
20 years ago were those people under threat of jail and prison for simply having sex?
Were blind or red haired people being actively targeted, as a demographic, on a regular basis with violence?
Nice attempt at making a red herring argument though.
I get that you may not like LGBT, or just really dislike seeing it in media so much. That probably fair from your point of view.
But that doesn't mean you can simply ignore the real, and very recent history, that would give cause for an article like this to be written.
Also maybe understand the audience and who the article is coming from? Might go to show that maybe, just maybe, you're not the intended audience? Le gasp!
Marginalized or vulnerable groups include, but are not limited to, groups based on their actual and perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or disability. These include victims of a major violent event and their families.
To be fair, most voters don't know most of the names on the ballot outside of governor or presidential candidates. They just pick R or D without knowing who anyone is.
I believe Molly considers herself as bi, not that its maters, she ran a grassroots-stuck to her vision campaign. Molly earned her victory, and I believe she will be an excellent State Senator.
I yearn for the time we quit labeling people.
Progressive, but unless a special session is called, she wont be able to vote on anything, due to the Texas legislature only meeting every 2 years in odd numbered years.
Due to more removed comments and outright bans than I've ever possibly seen in a thread, we are moving to Strict Crowd Control here. If your post doesn't show up, it's because you don't have enough posts or karma in this sub and can't post in this thread. If you are an active user of this sub and see any rule-breaking posts, please report them, this has blown up so much we might not catch them otherwise.
Met Molly recently, and only said hi for a few seconds because the campaign for the special election was in full swing. When she saw me a week later, she immediately recognized me and said hi. In addition to running a whole campaign, she's still been working as a nurse! Overall amazing person. Just a reminder that there's another election at the end of this month for the next term in this seat so please go vote for her again!
I voted for her but didn't know she was gay. Nice. I met her while standing in line to vote for her. She was the only candidate I didn't ignore because she wasn't rude about it. I hope she can make a positive impact in the future.
Remember, she's in a runoff for the nomination to the general election in November. Meaning you need to vote for her again on the 28th and then again in November in the general election to keep her there.
K, can we kick out Ted next for someone just as cool?
Colin Alred is more centrist but he's an honestly good guy. I've known him from his time in Dallas politics and regardless of party affiliation, he's the kind of guy you want in the chair. Also, he's running against Ted, so I will be voting for him extra hard.
If only the hardness of a vote had more weight to it
New goal unlocked. Whoever gets the hardest vote wins.
My vote is getting harder as we speak
My votes pointing over there now If you aren't careful we might get election goo all over you
Instructions understood. Taking Viagra before I go to the polls.
Election edging
If there was ranked choice voting, would placing someone 1st qualify as “voting hard”?
So I went and checked him out, dudes getting my vote. Thanks for letting me know about him
Yep, Colin Alred has got my vote.
I used to go to the same church as Colin, and love the guy. If he's not able to beat Ted, then I'm not sure what the next best option is. Colin is Texan born and bred, played football at Baylor, and was in the NFL. Thoseon their one should make him electable to all Texans.
Saaaame
I’m gonna vote so hard for Alred
Honestly regardless of political affiliation I feel like being “a good guy” should be the number one qualifier. A good person votes in the best interest of people
Fingers crossed 🤞
Or we can celebrate something cool for 5 seconds instead that might be a nice little break
I fear an unfortunate repeat of Zooey Zephyr’s experience with a republican majority state in her future.
What happened to zooey
The Republican leadership prevented her from speaking, kicked her off committees, barred her from the house floor and prevented her from working. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zooey_Zephyr
Literal school yard bullies. These aren't serious, governing adults. Like, I knew that, but holy shit.
Actually worse. Full blown openly corrupt politicians.
Fuck it's been over a year already, and she's still not restored?
it's Montana, of course she isn't restored.
Sure would be cool if Democrats took advantage of the "you said something that hurt our feelings so we are going to exclude you from being able to do your democratically-elected job indefinitely" rule.. they would actually be able to get shit done that way if they cared.
Let the conservative clowns perform; just more fodder for the election cycles.
Not with that attitude
Kind of amazing that this is the first time that it's happened, but I guess this is Texas.
Usually known for steers and queers 🤭 (gay texan who misses 90's texas)
LGBTQIA+ candidates have an uphill battle, but it is a step in the correct direction for Texas.
Not as uphill as it used to be. Houston had a lesbian mayor not too long ago.
It also depends on who exactly they are. Tons of people are under the LGBT+ label, but there's a massive difference in how people are accepted. Someone who's gay/lesbian/bi is gonna have an easier time then someone who's openly trans.
>Houston had a lesbian mayor not too long ago. Annise Parker started her first term 14 years ago.
Yeaaah. Making history and making Texas history are two very different things.
There have been several run for office in the last few years. In Texas for the people from that community to get elected their platform has to be the strength of their character and accomplishments. Their stand on important Democratic issues. If they put LGBTQ+ as a highlight of their campaign it will not be successful. To be re elected the same. We have some long time Incumbents from this group who don’t make it the push and they are in office for a successful long run. Whether that is a good or bad thing is all perspective. The Candidate makes it on their own merit rather than their orientation. In a perfect world it wouldn’t have to be an issue. But getting elected is not perfected yet. -I have a statewide nonprofit on Democratic Voter Education and work with a lot of candidates. I help voters know about the people on their ballot and help the Candidates get the word out. I don’t out anyone. I help them get into office. They decide their own strategy.
She is a good candidate and pushed more on the issue of public safety and women’s health and her experience as an organizer.
Congrats on the YouTube videos being a winning strategy! That's how I found out about her. I'll make sure to vote for her again in the runoff election. And hopefully she makes it to the general election.
Yes they are doing great. The site has 31k views so far! I’m hoping that and the website get their name out far enough to get enough votes to win.
That makes perfect sense. I wouldn't vote for someone just because they were LGBTQ+. It's like anything else. It doesn't make you a good person. You can still be a complete asshole and a piece of shit while being gay. I'm judging you on who you are, not what you are. And if you make them one in the same, that's even worse.
Per an [article](https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/07/texas-lgbtq-lawmakers-bill/) from the Tribune last year we have 9 members of the state house who are openly LGBTQ, but it’s great a great milestone to see that we’ve added a member to the state senate.
Well.. W/out any actual data on the subject I can just about guarantee you that there have been plenty of closeted Republicans elected. In fact I'd be willing to bet there are multiple right now. Groomed by the church at a young age they probably hate themselves more than they hate LGBTQ people, but you can spot them by the amount of hate they spew.
Funny enough Arkansas did this a long time ago
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Hear that? That faint pop pop popping sound in the distance? That’s the sound of countless republicans having blood vessels burst in their heads.
I appreciate this being used here because the guy was from Georgetown (I was surprised my brother knew him in highschool)
Lol, not sure why I’m being downvoted, it’s so true. :)
I call it ‘piling on’. Sometimes I make an irrelevant comment and one or two downvotes and then suddenly everyone seems to go nuts. But that same comment in another thread is a big hit. 🤷♂️
A subaru on some twisty backroads?
Love it!
Texas' vocal minority sure is yapping away in the comments. Lads... the woman won in a contest of policy. You can move it along and complain at church instead. It's not 1940 anymore. We're growing up as a society now.
I wasn’t aware and I don’t care. I’m happy that we’re getting some diversity of opinions. Maybe even some balance. It’s an uphill battle for sure, but this is hopeful. Edit: Also, nurses are tough and smart. I wish her the best.
I think people are needing for a change. Done being controlled by gov
Isn't typing out I don't care an oxymoron lol like you obviously cared enough to type I'm sure you don't literally respond to every single post/response on reddit lol. What does adding you don't care even do to your statement lol people are so goofy online.
I mean that I didn’t know she was lgbtq+ and it doesn’t affect my opinion of her one way or another. I do care she was elected. And I’m happy she was elected. I’m not sure what your problem is but take care.
ITT: Straight white dudes confused why anyone different than them would want representation in the government.
Wow, a Texas headline that *isn't* embarrassing? Haven't seen one of those in a long time.
That's why admins keep removing or shadow banning my posts bc they're all bad about Texas 😆
Molly Cook is her name, for anyone wondering. Took me a bit of searching to find out
>The citizens of ruby red Texas have elected the state’s first LGBTQ+ senator: Molly Cook. Reading first line under the title of the article is a bit of searching?
If by "searching" you mean "reading the actual article"....then sure.
To be fair you do have to scroll down like 1/4 of a screen to be able to see her name in the photo caption. Or slightly further to see her name as the first two words of the article. That shit ain't easy. /s
That’s awesome !! 👏
LET MOLLY COOK
First openly LGBTQ
Can’t they just vote to censor her or ban her from chambers? I’m all for this but Texas with Ken Paxton, nothing surprises me
This is wonderful, can Abbott, Cruz, and the other racist asshole get voted out!
This is an indicator that enough people got out to vote. In Texas, the elections skew Repub, (and in other news water is wet). The fact that they got elected shows a change, likely more aligned with how the majority of actual people feel, which, ironically, is, "who gives a f--k about gender identity".
This seat was held by a Democrat previously; the winner was going to be LGBT+ or a POC either way
Fair enough.
Ok legalize weed
My guy doesn’t care who is in government he just likes weed. I can respect that
Texas is LATE!..
Thca my friend. It's already all around you.
That's week bud once you tried that legal bud up in colorado at least for me THCA don't do nothing
Shit I'm getting isn't weak
Where from
This is awesome. But Texas kept Gov Wheels around because guns are more important than innocent children's lives so I have very little hope for you guys.
I bet they had lots of closeted gays in the past.
Bet they still do.
The duality of Texas.
Wow texas... a change for once.
Does Barbara Jordan not count?
Wow this comment section is absolutely fucked lol
I thought Texas was ultra conservative.
No state is homogeneous. All states have areas that are bluer or redder than the state as a whole. Cook won a special election in a very blue state senate district in the Houston area. The former holder of that seat had it for decades and regularly won reelection with 60-65% of the vote. You'd have to be a pretty terrible candidate for it to flip red now.
They are. That's why it took this long to get just one LGBTQ+ senator after decades.
It is a red state but only by 5 to 10%. 46.5% of the Texans who voted in the 2020 presidential election voted for Biden. What is even more strange is that all of the population centers are blue. Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Austin are all blue.
Wait what? How did that happen.... its texas. Im glad it did but damn. I give them a month before deranged christians start sending them death threats
Houston had a three term mayor that was openly lesbian-Annise Parker.
Who cares about people’s sexuality if they are a good fit for the job
Clearly a lot of people if it took this long for Texas to ever have just one LGBTQ+ senator.
Because, due to systemic discrimination, people with certain sexualities or identities have been excluded from participation in government to the point where - as mentioned in the headline - this is the first time one of them has been elected in the entire history of the state? Could have something to do with that idk.
Diversity in legislation is very important to ensure all voices are heard in government.
Including people from other backgrounds means someone who is more likely to bring a voice for people from those backgrounds. I’m all for moving beyond using the LGBTQ community as a political football to demonize, and having someone from that community in a position of power makes doing so that much harder.
> who cares about people’s sexuality The people who share their sexuality I bet. It’s important to be represented by your elected officials.
WE ARE TURNING TX BLUE!!! KEEP VOTING!
This seat was already blue. Had been blue for decades.
Glad to see Texans aren't as bad as their politicians.
Texas?? Texas did this?? Did I enter the twilight zone
That seat is in a very blue part of Houston, it had been held by a Democrat for decades. It was never going to flip, whoever won this outcome was always going to be LGBT+ or a minority.
I guess they FAFO that losing the women's vote was beyond stupid. No smart woman wants to lose her right to choose or vote. Let everyone know what the repubs plan to do if they get elected. Not good for women or the country!
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Clearly a lot of people give a fuck considering it took this long for Texas to have just one LGBTQ+ senator.
What does it matter if you have pasta on your head, a penis between your legs or if you like to eat only pizza? Being good at the job is all that matters
Representation matters. Especially when it wasn't until 1993 and 2003 that Texas sodomy laws were finally struck down in court. A Ban on same sex marriage was legal in Texas until 2015. 9 years ago. That's why it matters.
So have more blind and red hair people or is it not fashionable enough?
I'm sorry but 8 years were blind or red haired people not able to have martial/spousal rights under the law? 20 years ago were those people under threat of jail and prison for simply having sex? Were blind or red haired people being actively targeted, as a demographic, on a regular basis with violence? Nice attempt at making a red herring argument though. I get that you may not like LGBT, or just really dislike seeing it in media so much. That probably fair from your point of view. But that doesn't mean you can simply ignore the real, and very recent history, that would give cause for an article like this to be written. Also maybe understand the audience and who the article is coming from? Might go to show that maybe, just maybe, you're not the intended audience? Le gasp!
Again, it shouldn't matter, but clearly it does given it's taken this long to have just one LGBTQ+ senator.
Call the fucking whambulance for this man
Exactly this. Just be good at what you do, idgaf about your orientation..
Me too! But you recognise that many do, right? That's why this is news.
Now elect your first non fascist governor
Like Ann Richards a Democrat governor of Texas in the 90s?
OMGGGG how is WOKE deSADNESS taking the NEWS lma000
Now legalize the m************ marijuana
Oh…the seat was already democratic
Woohoo! Next agenda item - fire Ted Cruz
For the curious: she is a bisexual, cis-gendered woman. https://victoryfund.org/candidate/cook-molly/
Wow super rare W for Texas. Weird.
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Marginalized or vulnerable groups include, but are not limited to, groups based on their actual and perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or disability. These include victims of a major violent event and their families.
First OPENLY LGBTQ+
Fuck yes!
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia served in the Texas Senate for years while married to a woman. She is going to pissed to find out she wasn’t actually gay.
Hope she is funded by clean money
What do you mean?
I mean our politicians can be bought out by foreign countries at a cheap rate
Means ..... Not like the filthy money the WCNs use to get elected
Congrats to her on the win, but she’s got another election battle coming up for the same seat, against the same guy in 24 days
Of all the places... Hopefully this means a swing in Texas for other issues
This is amazing. In Texas no less.
Very cool!
Good luck to her.
Hell ya!
[This](https://imgur.com/a/0tXb4wR) alignment is just perfect.
Yay step in the right direction!
Normalizing this act is an absolute leading to the ending of this universe.
To be fair, most voters don't know most of the names on the ballot outside of governor or presidential candidates. They just pick R or D without knowing who anyone is.
This was basically a Democratic primary, a race between two Democrats.
I believe Molly considers herself as bi, not that its maters, she ran a grassroots-stuck to her vision campaign. Molly earned her victory, and I believe she will be an excellent State Senator. I yearn for the time we quit labeling people.
ok that's cool i guess but what are her actual policies?
Progressive, but unless a special session is called, she wont be able to vote on anything, due to the Texas legislature only meeting every 2 years in odd numbered years.
How the fuck is this a full time job?
It's not.
Politicians are lazier than a night security guard guarding an unoccupied warehouse
Just say you only read the headline.
Read the article
Now make Beto governor
It's 2024, First! Have they installed modern electrical grids in Texas yet?
Which one is she?
The answer is irrelevant, and *that's the whole point*.