Ritchie Torres Makes History as First Ever Openly Gay Black Member of Congress | 22 Words

As the votes are counted for the 2020 elections, it has just been confirmed that, in the wake of their Democratic win, New York has elected their first-ever openly gay Black congressman.

Here's what we know so far...

History has been made:

The first-ever openly gay black congressman in US history has been voted in.

Of course, this is a huge step in the right direction for our country's LGBTQ representation...

And the impact it will have on the community as a whole is astounding. Keep scrolling to find out more about the newest member of congress...

Now, the Democrats unveiled their stance on LGBTQ issues on October 15th.

via: Twitter / NBC News

 We were treated to 2 separate town hall events - just on different channels from different parts of the country, with undecided voters watching in the audience.

It all started when Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, was asked by ABC moderator George Stephanopoulus about how he would have handled the pandemic differently if he was in office...

via: Getty

 And what he said blew Trump right out of the park.

Biden used his comparison to lambast Trump for his somewhat "uneven" response to the virus.

via: Getty

 "He missed enormous opportunities and kept saying things that weren’t true," he said, noting that Trump’s administration said the virus would go away by Easter or be eradicated by the summer heat.

Biden then said his administration would have followed the pandemic plan laid out by Barack Obama’s administration before Trump took office.

via: Getty

 He explained how his first move would have been "sending Americans to China to get the most up to date knowledge on the virus."

The hopeful Democratic candidate then said there should have been more national standards earlier in the pandemic...

via: Getty

 And that the President should be pushing all Americans to use masks as a way to stop the spread. "He didn’t talk about what needed to be done because he kept worrying, in my view, about the stock market... He worried if he talked about how bad this could be, unless we took these precautionary actions, then, in fact, the market would go down. And his barometer of the success of the economy is the market."

In similarity to Trump's forum, Biden held a Q&A with potential voters...

And when a mother of a transgender child asked Biden about his plans for LGBTQ+ rights, his answer was astonishing.

The mom explained:

"I'm the proud mom of 2 girls, 8 and 10, my youngest daughter is transgender. The Trump Administration has attacked the rights of transgender people - banning them from military service, weakening non-discrimination, protections, and even removing the word 'transgender' from some government websites."

She then asked Biden how he, as President, will reverse this "dangerous and discriminatory agenda"...

And how he will ensure the lives and rights of LGBTQ+ people will be protected.

Biden immediately responded with:

"I will flat out just change the law, I will eliminate those executive orders."

He then recalled a life lesson he learned from his own father when he was younger.

Biden explained how, as a young boy, he saw 2 corporate-looking men kiss each other, and his father said, "Joe, it's simple. They love each other."

He carried on:

"The idea that an 8-year-old child decides, 'You know, I decided I want to be transgender', there should be zero discrimination and what's happening is, too many transgender women of color are being murdered... so I promise you there is no reason to suggest that there should be any rights denied to your daughter."

The mom seemed to be overjoyed with Biden's heartfelt response to the issue surrounding LGBTQ+ rights in America...

And so did the internet!

Are we looking at the next President of the United States?

Who knows right now.

And now, Biden has promised to make the Equality Act his top priority...

Saying that should he win Tuesday’s election, he will sign the civil rights law within his first 100 days.

Biden is a leading voice for LGBTQ+ rights...

Pledging to expand queer rights not just here in the US, but internationally too.

And now, LGBTQ history has been made.

Democratic Rep.-elect, Ritchie Torres, made history tonight by becoming the first openly gay Black person elected to Congress.

This is a huge victory.

Torres became the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx when he was elected to the New York City Council 7 years ago.

And, in June’s congressional primary...

He defeated Rubén Diaz Sr., a fellow member of the New York City Council who has a long history of alleged anti-LGBTQ remarks.

On his historic win, he said this:

"Thank you. Tonight, we made history. It is the honor of a lifetime to represent the essential borough, the Bronx." Congratulations, Ritchie Torres!