As Donald Trump was elected, so was this gay son of immigrants
A son of Korean immigrants has become the first openly gay man to be elected to the Georgia Legislature in the US.
Samuel Park, 31, became the state representative for House District 101 in Gwinnett County with 51 per cent of the vote last Tuesday, the same day America voted in Donald Trump as their 45th President.
Park, a descendent of refugees from the Korean War, grew up in a single parent household, with his mother the sole support for him and his two siblings. Park said it was his mother’s 2014 cancer diagnosis that cemented the decision to run for office.
“As I take my mom to her chemo appointment every two weeks, I am constantly reminded of the importance of health insurance. Access to healthcare is a matter of life or death,” Park wrote on his website, with healthcare being a big focus of his campaign.
Tuesday was a historic day for LGBT people. Along with Park, Kate Brown was the first openly LGBT person to be elected as governor of a state.
“The election of an openly gay man to the Georgia General Assembly represents just one more step on the road to full equality for LGBT people in Georgia,” Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality told The Huffington Post.
Park thanked his voters on his Facebook page on Wednesday. “To everyone who supported me, to every voter who opened the door to us, and showed up at the poll, this is our win and I am proud and humbled to be part of this great community.”
