Mississippi just elected its first-ever out gay state legislator: Fabian Nelson

Mississippi just elected its first-ever out gay state legislator: 38-year-old Fabian Nelson

Nelson beat his Democratic primary opponent in an election runoff for a southern House district on Tuesday. Because no Republican candidates ran for the seat, Nelson will run unopposed in the upcoming November general election and be seated in January, NBC News reported.

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“I never expected to have this many people,” the mayor said.

“I still think I’m in a dream. I’m still trying to process it and take it in,” Nelson told the media outlet. “It’s still shocking to me, I have to be honest.”

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When he first ran for the same seat in a 2020 special primary election, he ran against six candidates and got just 33 votes — something he blamed on an inability to campaign in person due to COVID-19 restrictions. For this election, he began knocking on doors and attending community events, meetings, and one-on-ones with church pastors to ensure that voters knew who he was.

He said he hopes to focus on fully funding public schools (rather than private charter schools), expanding Medicaid, as well as economic and infrastructure development for the under-served areas in his district.

“I want to reconnect people back to government again because people are so disconnected,” he told LGBTQ Nation in July. “I tell people, it’s not about me. I’m a representative. I represent you. I represent your interests. I want to build that bridge and get people to start trusting the legislative process again.”

In a statement, Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, said, “Voters in Mississippi should be proud of the history they’ve made but also proud to know they’ll be well-represented by Fabian. Fabian’s victory is a testament to his dedication to his community and the thoughtful, diligent work he put into winning this campaign…. We look forward to seeing him take his seat in the legislature and champion a better Mississippi for all.”

Nelson will ascend to the legislature at a time when state Republicans have stepped up its attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. Recently, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has signed laws banning transgender females from playing on sports teams matching their gender identities, banning trans youth from accessing gender-affirming healthcare, and a law banning children from accessing so-called “sexually oriented” materials from public libraries.

While he has said that he would like to be an inspiring role model for LGBTQ+ youth and adults who might one day run for office, he has also said he wants to fight to repeal the state’s 2016 bill forbidding the government from punishing religious people who refuse to services to transgender individuals and people in same-sex marriages.

“I feel that getting this LGBTQ freedom of religion bill repealed, that’s going to open up our doors,” he told LGBTQ Nation in 2020. “Because companies don’t want to come here and bring their highly talented, trained people to the dark ages.”

Nelson is a real estate agent and a foster father of four who received a bachelor of science from Jackson State University and a Master’s in Business Administration from American Public University.