Detroit has two openly LGBTQ+ council members for the first time
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Come January, Detroit will have two openly LGBTQ+ City Council members for the first time.
The big picture: New District 7 Council Member Denzel McCampbell will join District 6 Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who was reelected in November after becoming the body's first openly LGBTQ+ woman in 2022.
What they're saying: It's "great progress for the city," McCampbell tells Axios.
- "It's not something that came up a lot on the campaign trail," he adds. "Folks are really focused on, 'How are you going to improve my day-to-day life? How are you going to improve my material conditions? Are you a person with integrity?'"
- "But yes, to be openly queer and also have the ability to serve my neighbors is something that I really take pride in."
Santiago-Romero told Axios after the election that it's "significant," including that there will be representation of a Black LGBTQ+ man on another council.
- She described hearing comments that there were no queer people in Detroit and said she was excited to serve with someone who "helps reflect the full city."
When it comes to supporting LGBTQ+ communities, Santiago-Romero said her office was looking at the city's human rights ordinance.
- She also noted a public awareness campaign that launched this month with the LGBTQ+ youth nonprofit Ruth Ellis Center and the department of transportation.
- McCampbell told Axios he wants to make sure LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities feel included, pointing out that LGBTQ+ residents can have increased difficulties with issues that are already critical for Detroit at large: housing, transportation and job access.