Two African American LGBTQ+ candidates have gained seats in Florida making it the first time the state has voted in two gay, Black  members of their state legislature.
According to Adovcate.com, Shevrin Jones, will represent the 35th state legislative district, which includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Florida’s most populous area. He has already served several terms in the Florida state House.
“Tonight we’re making history by electing the first openly LGBTQ State Senator in Florida,” Jones said in his victory speech. I never could have imagined this moment as a young boy growing up in Carol City, but am honored to play a small part in making sure others can see themselves in their elected officials and ensuring that there are no more firsts.”
Also, Michele Rayner has won a seat in the Florida House and will represent the 70th district, which includes parts of St. Petersburg and parts of western Florida.
A civil rights lawyer and lead counsel of Civil Liberty Law in Pinellas County, she also serves as local counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
According to Reuters, as many as 35 of 574 LGBTQ+ candidates won elections on Nov. 3, placing a record number of gay and lesbian public servants in office including Richie Torres in New York City, and Mondaire Jones in Nyack, N.Y., who are the first gay men of color elected to Congress.
RELATED: Ritchie Torres Makes History As First Openly Gay, Afro-Latino Member Of Congress
“Tonight’s wins for LGBTQ people of color and transgender Americans across the country are historic and long overdue,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of LGBTQ+ rights organization GLAAD told Reuters. “Their victories represent a leap forward for LGBTQ acceptance and a demand for more of the progress and equality that their very presence demonstrates.”