Thursday, November 8, 2012

November 2012 - History in the Making

This past election had a number of amazing historic firsts:

  • Mazie Hirono (HI) is the first Asian-American woman, first Japanese immigrant, and the first Buddhist elected to the Senate. 
  • Tulsi Gabbard (HI) is the first practicing Hindu to Congress (and she's going to take her oath on the Bhagavad Gita.) 
  • Tammy Duckworth (IL) will be the first Thai-American, tthe first disabled woman, and the first disabled female vet in Congress. She is also biracial and trilingual.
  • Tammy Baldwin (WI) will be the first openly gay senator. 
  • New Hampshire is the first state to have an all-female delegation to the US Congress. (New Hampshire also elected a woman governor.)
  • This next Congress will have a record-breaking 20 female Senators. 
  • Mary Gonzalez is the first openly LGBT female to be elected to the Texas legislature (she identifies as pansexual).
  • Maryland and Maine are the first states to approve marriage equality by popular vote, followed shortly by Washington a few hours later.
  • Puerto Rico votes in support of statehood. 
 We truly are a diverse and beautiful country!