Washington, DC – Today, Equality PAC released the following statement marking the start of the 119th Congress with a record number of 12 openly LGBTQ Members joining the House of Representatives and one openly LGBTQ Member joining the Senate. This includes newly sworn-in Congresswoman Sarah McBride (DE-AL), the first openly transgender Member of Congress in history, Congresswoman Julie Johnson (TX-32), the first openly LGBTQ Member of Congress from the South and to represent Texas at the federal level, and Congresswoman Emily Randall (WA-06), the first queer Latina and first openly LGBTQ person to represent Washington state.
“Today, at the start of the new Congress, we can officially say that thanks to the work of Equality PAC, the 119thCongress is the gayest Congress in history,” said Equality PAC Co-Chairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY). “For the past two years, we have worked around the clock to recruit winning candidates, raise over $23 million, protect our Frontliners and all LGBTQ incumbents, and make sure our candidates and allies had the support they needed to win this past November. Because of this hard work, we not only made history in our numbers, but we also elected the first trans Member of Congress and gave the South and Pacific Northwest their first openly LGBTQ representatives at the federal level. This is a record that we are excited to build on as we work to expand the map and elect a new Pro-Equality Majority during the 2026 midterm elections. We want to congratulate all our newly sworn-in Members and are excited to work with them to protect and defend LGBTQ Americans in every corner of our nation.”
The three new Members of Congress will join Equality PAC Co-Chairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY), along with Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN), Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-VT), Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA), Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-03). In the Senate, Equality PAC helped re-elect Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin.
Equality PAC’s mission is simple: to elect more LGBTQ+ persons to Congress — individuals who will have a seat at the table, impact the debate, and humanize the LGBTQ community’s concerns. All the funds we raise are used to elect and re-elect LGBTQ persons to Congress and secondarily support strong LGBTQ community allies who will proudly and unapologetically stand with us in the fight to pass the Equality Act and equal protection under our nation’s laws.
In the short time that Equality PAC has existed, Equality PAC has played an unmatched role in making history for the LGBTQ community, electing LGBTQ leaders at the federal level such as current House Members Sharice Davis (Kansas); Ritchie Torres (New York); Becca Balint (Vermont); Robert Garcia (California); Eric Sorensen (Illinois); Angie Craig (Minnesota); and Chris Pappas (New Hampshire). And in 2024, Equality PAC helped elect Julie Johnson (Texas); Emily Randall (Washington); and Sarah McBride (Delaware).
Equality PAC has been instrumental in winning key races that have determined control of Congress because we know that without pro-Equality majorities, the progress our community has made and the civil rights and equal protections we have fought so hard for, and are still fighting for every day, remain in jeopardy.
