“I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today.”
(Paul Bios – Daily Wire) The state of Colorado made U.S. history on Tuesday night by electing the first openly gay man to the governorship.
According to the New York Post, “Democrat Jared Polis, a congressman from the state’s second district, received 51 percent of the vote compared with state treasurer Walker Stapleton’s 45 percent.”
Polis became the first openly gay man in U.S. history to be elected governor of a state, though he is not the first known openly gay man to hold that office. In 2004, New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey came out as gay while in office after being elected.
Throughout his campaign, Polis often spoke of his commitment to LGBTQ principles, saying his election would send a message to Vice President Mike Pence.
“I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence, whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today,” Polis said earlier this year.
The ascension of Polis in Colorado comes at a time when the state has increasingly positioned itself as an enemy of religious liberty, most notably in its persecution of baker Jack Phillips, who refused to bake a same-sex wedding cake due to religious objections. The state’s efforts to disenfranchise the Christian baker were thwarted, however, when the Supreme Court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed unfair hostility towards his religious beliefs.
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