Stein weighs in on LGBTQ representation in public office

Professor of History Marc Stein discussed the need for better political representation for the LGBTQ community in a widely reprinted USA Today article. Though he takes hope from the recent elections — including the fact that a conservative upstate New York town he used to live in just put a gay man in office — Stein points out that the gay community is still woefully underrepresented in the halls of power. “We’ve got around 2% of senators and members of Congress, and even if it’s hard to truly count the LGBTQ population in America, that’s still low,” Stein said. “The key will be for local LGBTQ candidates to keep pushing forward, presenting themselves, as the late Harvey Milk did in San Francisco, as just another member of the community who really wants to work hard to make things better for all.”