From left: The diverse LGBTQ+ candidates elected to office in the past year include State Rep. Stephanie Byers of Kansas, an Indigenous transgender woman; U.S.
Rep. Mondaire Jones of New York State, one of two gay Black men elected to Congress; and State Rep. Adrian Tam of Hawaii, an Asian-American gay man and the only out member of the state legislature.The number of LGBTQ+ Americans in elected office increased greatly in the past year, but the community is still severely underrepresented, according to a new report.There are 986 known out LGBTQ+ elected officials in the U.S., representing a 17 percent increase in the past year (June 2020 through June 2021), says the LGBTQ Victory Institute’s Out for America report, released Wednesday.