Colorado elects nation’s first openly gay governor
Colorado Democratic US Rep. Jared Polis will be his state’s next governor, becoming the nation’s first openly gay man elected to a governor’s mansion.
United States
In ‘rainbow wave,’ LGBT candidates are elected in record numbers in U.S.
More openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were elected Tuesday night than in any previous U.S. election. The results are still rolling in, but at least 153 have won so far.
New Kansas governor will reinstate protections for LGBT state workers
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender state employees across Kansas will again have protections from on-the-job discrimination once Democrat Laura Kelly becomes governor.
New Mexico Democrat Debra Haaland and Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids become the first Native American women elected to U.S. Congress
Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Native American women elected to Congress.
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota become the first Muslim women elected to U.S. Congress
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota became the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
Record number of women heading to U.S. Congress
More than 100 women were projected to win seats in the House of Representatives, easily shattering the record.
U.S. Supreme Court lets youths’ case demanding climate action proceed
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to halt the trial in a lawsuit brought by 21 young people seeking to force the federal government to take action to address climate change.
Florida restores voting rights to more than 1 million former felons
Amendment 4 automatically reinstates voting rights for people with felony convictions upon completion of their sentences, including prison, parole and probation.
Apple, Amazon, Facebook and more than 50 other companies sign letter against Trump administration’s proposed gender definition changes
More than 50 companies representing over $2.4 trillion in annual revenue and almost 4.8 million employees have signed a letter in protest of Trump’s proposed transgender policy.
7 U.S. states set to double their wind power capacity
Arkansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming, Maryland, and Massachusetts have enough wind energy currently under construction that it will more than double their capacity upon completion.