Maura Healey Is First Out Lesbian Woman To Be Elected Governor In United States

Massachusetts  Attorney General Maura Healey made history on Wednesday as the state’s first woman governor and the country’s first out lesbian governor. 

Healey had previously made waves when she became the first LGBTQI person elected to be a state’s attorney general in 2014. Her election win marks the defeat of Republican Geoff Diehl, a former state representative who had the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

Healey addressed her supporters at a victory rally in Boston on Tuesday, stating that this win was dedicated to “every little girl and every young LGBTQ person out there.”

“I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever, whoever you want to be. And nothing and no one can ever get in your way except your own imagination, and that’s not going to happen”, Healey said. 

Climate Action And Equal Rights

During the campaign, Healey advocated for immediate climate action, the expansion of job training programs, further protections for LGBTQI rights including banning the gay panic defence (a legal strategy which allows a defendant to claim a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity/expression is to blame for their crime), and to make child care more affordable. 

Healey has also said that she would actively work to protect access to “safe and legal abortion in Massachusetts” following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June this year. 

Mass Live had reported that Healey core policies –  “better laws and policies when those in office, just like those in the boardroom, reflect the populations that they serve and work on behalf of.” 

LGBTQI Groups Welcome Historic Win

LGBTQI Victory Fund President and CEO Mayor Annise Parker commended Healey for her win which came up “in the face of so much hate and intolerance sweeping our nation”. 

NBC News reported Parker calling this a sign “especially to LGBTQI kids in desperate need of hope,  that LGBTQI people have a place in American society and can become respected public leaders. It is an uphill battle for LGBTQI candidates and women candidates to win high-level elected office, but Massachusetts voters know Maura is a fighter and today helped her make U.S. political history.”

Human Rights Campaign Interim President Joni Madison posted her congratulations to Healey on Twitter. “Tonight, Maura Healey made history, becoming the first out lesbian governor this nation has ever elected. Massachusetts embraced a platform of equality and inclusion by electing a pro-equality champion.”

An Advocate For LGBTQI Rights

According to HRC, Healey’s win sent an important message to the community, especially young LGBTQI persons. 

With her in the statehouse, LGBTQ+ youth across Massachusetts and the United States will get to see that they are represented at the highest levels of government, and that they can achieve anything they set their minds on. We celebrate Maura Healey’s historic win and look forward to working with her to continue to fight for a Massachusetts that is inclusive and welcoming to all,” said Madison. 

Healey has been an advocate for queer rights since her time in office. In 2009, Healey headed the country’s first successful challenge to the Defence of Marriage Act, a 1996 law which prohibited the federal recognition of same-sex marriages. 

In her victory speech, she committed to defending women’s rights to control their reproductivity, stating, “As long as I’m governor, women will always have the freedom to control their own bodies.”