Michele Rayner and Shervin Jones made LGBTQ history by winning seats in the Florida state legislature.
Rayner will become the first Black LGBTQ woman to serve in the state's house of representatives winning the Democratic primary with 30 percent of the vote securing her spot as the representative of District 70.
"I'm proud because this win represents a new day," Rayner said. "We’ve run a campaign focused on putting people over politics and that’s rooted in a commitment to working with and for residents until the change they seek is a reality... This win proves that this community is ready tired of business as usual and ready for change, and I’m so grateful and humbled that the voters of District 70 have elected me to represent them in Tallahassee to move us closer to the change we all deserve."
Jones is the first LGBTQ person ever elected to Florida's upper chamber, winning Miami-Dade's 35th district. Rayner did not face a Republican opponent in the general, but defeated Democratic challengers during the primary.
"I was a married man. My parents were conservative. My parents raised my brothers and me to be truthful and be honest. I knew I was gay back in kindergarten. I knew it," Jones told the Miami Herald two years ago. "I got married and my ex-wife — I love her. She’s amazing. She even lives in my district — she and I were friends for 10 years at school. When I married her I loved her then. But I loved her too much to continue to lie to her and lie to my family. I have to be honest."
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