Texas elects first openly gay, Black legislator – The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN — Texas had never elected an openly gay, Black legislator until this year. By November, its voters might be sending as many as three to the state House.

Earlier this month, Jolanda Jones became the first openly LGBT Black state lawmaker when she beat out her challenger in the special election to replace retiring Rep. Garnet Coleman in his Houston seat. Sworn in last week, the Democrat will serve out the remainder of Coleman’s term before facing a Republican opponent in November.

Then on Tuesday, Christian “Manuel” Hayes and Venton Jones beat their runoff opponents to win the Democratic nominations for House seats representing Beaumont and Dallas. While both also face opponents in the general election, their districts are solidly Democrat.

If all three are elected, the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus would grow from 5 to 8 members, tying California. According to the Victory Fund only one other state, Maine, has more openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender legislators.

If Jones prevails, he will also become the first Texas legislator to live openly with HIV. He told The Dallas Morning News it is significant that the state may go from zero to three openly gay Black lawmakers in one year.

“It’s huge,” Venton said Wednesday. “And it’s huge not only in the sense of having three openly black LGBT people, it’s three black LGBT people who are extremely qualified.”

“We stepped up from our own different seasons, but we were connected to the same purpose,” he said.

The three candidates each told The News that they learned to lean on each other during the election season.

“We’re a family,” Hayes said Wednesday. He said knowing that all three of them could head to the Legislature together is better than winning on his own. “Now I know I’m not alone.”

Jolanda Jones said the three spoke regularly, including on election night Tuesday.

“We really, really closely supported each other. We felt the weight of being the first,” she told The News on Wednesday. “We’re just excited to be able to include black GLBT voices in decisionmaking.”

Venton Jones applauded the backgrounds of his colleagues. He pointed out that Jolanda Jones has long been involved in policymaking in Houston, including stints on the city council and school board, and Hayes has worked as a staffer for his local legislator for close to two decades.

Jones, who grew up in the South Dallas district in which he is running, is a longtime public health advocate who’s served on CDC and White House working groups. He is the chairman of the Dallas County HIV Task Force.

“It is amazing to be in these races alongside those two individuals,” he said. “Throughout this campaign we leaned on each other a great deal.”

Jolanda Jones will face Damien Thaddeus Jones in November. Hayes’ opponents are Jacorion Randle, a Republican, and Independent Chad Gary. Venton Jones faces a libertarian, Joe Roberts.

Annise Parker, the former mayor of Houston and president of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said candidates like the Joneses and Hayes can provide a bulwark to anti-LGBT legislation.

“Primary voters responded to those attacks by shattering a lavender ceiling and sending Venton and Christian to a general election where they are poised to make history,” Parker said in a statement. “When they win in November, it will send a strong message that bigotry will not prevail long-term.”

Jolanda Jones said the black LGBT community has unique interests that she and her colleagues could address as legislators.

“For example, black trans women are the most murdered people. So that concerns me,” Jolanda Jones said.

In 2019, The News reported that Texas was leading the nation murders of black trans women. Oftentimes, these women were killed by men with whom they had a sexual relationship. Coleman, Jones’ predecessor, tried and failed for years to add gender identity to the state’s hate crimes laws.

Hayes and Venton Jones each cited health care, public education and voting rights as top-of-mind issues. Venton Jones also said that expanding broadband in his Dallas district would also be a priority.

For now, however, he is focused on voter engagement and turnout.

“What is the most important is the work needed to turn Texas blue,” Jones said.