US anti-LGBTQ+ laws fail to woo voters, says trailblazing Black gay politician
The wave of recent anti-LGBTQ+ bills launched across the US is unlikely to win over voters who are more focused on practical issues such as health and education, said a trailblazing Black gay lawmaker.
The spate of conservative-sponsored legislation from anti-trans bills to drag queen bans is a backlash against the growing support for LGBTQ+ rights, said Pennsylvania state representative Malcolm Kenyatta, as polls show rising acceptance among Americans. “People only fight you when you’re winning,” Democrat Kenyatta, 32, told Openly. “When people are given an option between somebody who’s going to lower your healthcare costs, who’s going to help your kid go to a good school … versus somebody who’s picking on drag queens.
I mean, give me a break.” In 2018, Kenyatta – the grandson of renowned 1960s civil rights leader Muhammad I. Kenyatta – became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of colour to win election to the Pennsylvania state legislature.
He ran for the Democratic nomination for US Senate in 2021, aiming to become the country’s first Black gay senator, but lost to John Fetterman, who went on to win the seat.
