African-American Gay Men Make History

The new, one hundred and seventeenth US Congress is the most diverse in history. Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres, are two new Congressmen from New York and become the two first gay black members of Congress ever. 11 queer and transgender people now serve in the House and Senate, including two openly LGBTQ+ Senators and nine House representatives.  Mondaire Jones was also voted the leader of the incoming class of Congresspeople, making him the first gay person to hold the prestigious title. Mondaire said that his life had come a long way from the modest upbringing he had. He thanked, in his words “ the community that raised me from Section 8 housing all the way to the halls of Congress.”