Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones make history as the first openly gay Black members of Congress

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Democrats Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones have become the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress.

Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones elected to Congress

The two won their elections Tuesday to seats representing the South Bronx and parts of New York City’s northern suburbs, respectively.

Torres claimed victory in his race against Patrick Delices for the Bronx’s 15th Congressional District seat vacated by Jose Serrano, who recently retired.

Jones defeated Republican Maureen McArdle Schulman and Conservative Party candidate Yehudis Gottesfeld in New York’s 17th Congressional District.

Torres became the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx when he was elected to the New York City Council seven years ago at age 25. In June’s congressional primary, he defeated Rubén Diaz Sr., a fellow member of the New York City Council who had a long history of anti-LGBTQ remarks.

After beating Díaz, Torres told CBS, “Look, the triumph of an openly LGBTQ congressional candidate over a leading homophobic in state politics — that to me represents long-overdue poetic justice. What better way to celebrate Pride Month than to defeat the politics of homophobia?”

After winning the primary, Jones spoke to CBS about the possibility of being one of the first two openly gay Black men elected to Congress after winning his primary.

“It is a lot of responsibility,” Jones said. “I’m happy to be providing that kind of representation for so many young people and older people all throughout my district and all throughout this country who have reached out to me and said, ‘I’m so inspired by what you’re doing. You give me hope and I can be my authentic self in a world filled with so much injustice,’ and it’s really an honor to be able to do that.”

There are currently nine openly LGBTQ members of Congress, including Rep. Sharice Davids, elected in 2018, who is the first openly gay woman of color in Congress and Rep. Mark Takano, who became the first openly gay person of color in Congress when he was elected in 2012.