This is my article for the Wyoming Equality newsletter in case anybody wants to read it early;

Well… it’s finally over! Election Day has come and gone and this has undoubtedly been the greatest election ever in regards to LGBT rights! The first sitting president to affirm his support for marriage equality has been re-elected.

Wisconsin voters are sending Tammy Baldwin to the United States Senate. She will be the first openly gay member of the upper chamber. New Hampshire has elected its first transgendered member of the state legislature; and Colorado and Oregon are both set to have openly gay Speakers of the House.

The Stonewall Democrats released a statement saying 57 of the 60 candidates they endorsed for marriage equality won their races for Congress. A win rate of 95%!

Finally, three states, Maine, Maryland, and Washington approved marriage equality at the ballot box and Minnesota voters rejected an anti-gay marriage amendment. This is a really big deal my friends! Since the late 90’s voters have rejected marriage equality 32 separate times in state initiatives across this country.  This clearly proves that public sentiment is changing. Our adversaries will have a hard time continuing to argue that liberal biased judges are the only people who feel strongly about equality!

However, I’m afraid the election results in Wyoming are a bit more problematic. Many candidates that voiced support for equality lost their bids to the Wyoming Legislature. I fear that we will once again be battling some very ugly anti-gay legislation in 2013.  Passage of civil unions may also be more of a battle than we had originally hoped for.

That being said, I am more fired up than ever before!  The national election has proven that a solid grassroots campaign can overcome what may seem like insurmountable obstacles! We will fight for equality in this state until we have achieved our goals! Momentum is on our side and I will not rest until I can marry the man that I love!

Jeran