Last night, Nashville voters completed the process of electing another pro-equality majority in Metro Government, the 3rd time that has happened now, vindicating the progress that has been made in the city over the last 8 years.
Megan Barry's victory as mayor was the most visible manifestation of that result. But in this election cycle voters also elected a pro-equality Vice Mayor, David Briley, and a pro-equality majority on the Council including one gay man (Brett Withers) and one lesbian (Nancy VanReece). Nancy is not only a former TEP Foundation board member, but she is the first out lesbian elected to a legislative body in Tennessee.
Family Action of Tennessee attacked Mayor-elect Barry on LGBT and choice issues and those attacks failed. Nashville voters sent a message that equality is one of the values of our city and there is no turning back.
Now the task before us over the next four years in Nashville and other cities and counties is to pursue the local government advocacy agenda--transitional housing for LGBT youth, affordable, inclusive housing for LGBT seniors, transgender-inclusive health benefits for city employees, LGBT competency training for health-related divisions in city government, and much more.
The work will always be hard, but it becomes possible and considerably easier given the results of last night's election.
I commend TEP PAC on their work and the whole TEP family thanks you for your support of some great candidates in this election. And we offer our congratulations to our new elected officials!
Gratefully yours,
Chris Sanders
Executive Director
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