Kim Jackson has become Georgia’s first LGBTQ+ state senator, with her Monday swearing-in ceremony earlier making the historic milestone official.
According to the LGBTQ+ news site Project Q Atlanta, Jackson was sworn in with a Bible that belonged to her grandparents and wore a stole that was passed on from the Reverend Pauli Murray, the first Black woman ordained as a priest in the Episcopal church. Jackson is herself an Episcopal priest.
“I am honored to be afforded the opportunity to represent the people of Senate District 41 in the state Capitol and I am humbled by the trust displayed in me,” Jackson wrote in a prepared statement timed to her inauguration.
The daughter of a social worker and a nurse, Jackson campaigned on a progressive platform that included reproductive freedom, gun safety, and protecting voting rights.
Jackson’s district, Senate District 41, includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties, two areas that proved key to making President-elect Joe Biden the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia in 28 years. After defeating Republican challenger William Park Freeman by 59 points on November 3, Jackson will now serve on four committees: Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Government Oversight, Natural Resources, and the Environment and Public Safety.
Jackson joins six other LGBTQ+ lawmakers in the Georgia legislature, including state Rep. Marvin Lim (Norcross-Lilburn-Tucker), who recently became the first queer Filipino lawmaker to serve in the state House. That number also marks the highest share of LGBTQ+ legislators Georgia has ever had.
State Rep. Karla Drenner, the first queer person elected to the Georgia House, exactly recently celebrated her 20th year in the legislature. She continues to serve the state’s 85th district in DeKalb County.
Prior to the election, Jackson cited Simone Bell — the first Black lesbian elected to the Georgia House — as a role model in an interview with them.
“I really hope that there will be more who come after me and very quickly,” she said. “I think that when we get our foot in the door, that’s the key — and if my foot can get in the door, then I am prepared to push it wide open so that other queer folks can come and stand alongside me.”
Jackson’s win comes amidst a blue shift in what had once been a Republican stronghold. Earlier this month, the closely watched runoff election saw victories for both Democratic candidates: Raphael Warnock ousted anti-LGBTQ+ donor Kelly Loeffler to become Georgia’s first Black senator, while Jon Ossoff defeated David Perdue to secure narrow Democratic control of the U.S. Senate.
