Metro Weekly

Victory Fund endorses Gabriel Acevero for Maryland State Delegate

If victorious, Acevero would become the first gay Afro-Latino elected to the Maryland General Assembly

Gabriel Acevero – Photo: Acevero for State Delegate campaign.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund is backing yet another D.C.-area candidate for political office, giving its endorsement to Gabriel Acevero, a candidate for Maryland state delegate in the Montgomery County-based 39th District.

Acevero, an openly gay union organizer and political activist, was involved in the campaigns to legalize marriage equality and pass nondiscrimination protections for transgender people in the state. For his efforts, he was named one of the National Black Justice Coalition’s “100 Black LGBTQ Emerging Leaders to Watch” in both 2012 and 2014. He was also behind the push to name the new Rockville Elementary School after gay Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin.

“Gabriel has been on the front lines of the fight for LGBTQ equality, he represents the future of our community, and we’re pleased to support him in his bid for state delegate,” Victory Fund President and CEO Annise Parker, said in a statement. “His commitment to smart public policy that addresses the real concerns of constituents makes him the best candidate. He’ll be a vital LGBTQ voice in Annapolis.”

“I’m excited to have the support of the Victory Fund. At a time when our community is being targeted and marginalized, the work we do at the state level matters,” Acevero said in a statement. “Our youth continue to be forced to the streets and are at a heightened risk of entering the school-to-jail pipeline; our seniors still face discrimination and mistreatment in long-term care and our transgender sisters continue to be murdered at alarming rates. This is the unfinished work of our movement.”

Acevero has also been endorsed by Progressive Maryland, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, At-Large Councilmember Marc Elrich, State Sen. Susan Lee, Gaithersburg City Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles, and former state delegate and gubernatorial candidate Heather Mizeur, a former member of the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.

If elected, Acevero would become the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to the Maryland General Assembly. The primary is on June 26.

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