On election night, Virginia, New Jersey and New York dominated the news. The blue wave kept rolling all the way to California. Republicans might’ve expected a little shakeup, but nobody saw those huge losses coming. It turns out, when equality voters band together and say, “enough is enough” things really do change.
Let’s be real: this past year has been rough. We’ve watched Trump demolish the East Wing of the White House to build a $300 million ballroom while thousands of federal workers got furloughed. SNAP funding was withheld and cut, leaving families scrambling for groceries. Paychecks to federal workers that keep our country safe stopped — like the U.S. military, the TSA, and air traffic control.
The GOP just let it happen, and on Election Night they faced the consequences.
For 10 months, which if you’re like me have felt like years, we’ve just been holding our collective breath, hoping things will get better. Hoping that we’ll get through the day, while we watch our energy bills shoot up, groceries skyrocket, and every morning feeling like a new episode of “What now?” Will it start with an ALL-CAPS post on Truth Social filled with more nonsense?
But on Election Day, equality voters came back swinging. Finally, we can breathe again and remember that “We the people” can make real change — way more meaningful than any so-called “big, beautiful bill.”
And hey, New Jersey’s LGBTQ community played a huge part in this. Did you know about 4.1% of adults in New Jersey identify as LGBTQ? That’s around 343,000 people! About 205,000 LGBTQ folks are part of the workforce, and a quarter of LGBTQ adults in the state are raising kids.
New Jersey has some of the strongest protections in the country for queer people — marriage equality since 2013, a ban on conversion therapy for minors, and laws that protect us from discrimination at work, in housing, and in public spaces. And for the first time in a half century New Jersey voted in another Democrat after a two-term Democrat!
New Jerseyans aren’t the only ones celebrating. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom nailed it: “What happened here in California tonight is a victory for the people of this country. Donald Trump’s attempts to rig the midterm elections are backfiring. His attempts to silence you are backfiring. His entire presidency is backfiring.”
As we head into the holidays, let’s celebrate these wins. Let’s get ready for the midterms in 2026. New Jersey’s LGBTQ community is fired up and we are ready to keep making history.
