In a historic first, LGBTQ Americans will be on the ballot in all 50 states

For the first time in the nation's history, Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will have a chance to elect an LGBTQ person to public office.

A new report by the political action committee LGBTQ Victory Fund found that of the 1,065 LGBTQ candidates who ran primary campaigns, a historic 678 of them — the vast majority of which are Democrats — will appear on the ballot in November, an 18.1% increase from the 2020 general election

The record-breaking election year comes as a historic number of anti-LGBTQ laws have been introduced in state legislatures throughout the country and as homophobic tropes have resurfaced in the nation's mainstream political discourse.

“Voters are sick and tired of the relentless attacks lobbed against the LGBTQ community this year," Annise Parker, the president and chief executive of the Victory Fund and the former mayor of Houston, said in a statement. "Bigots want us to stay home and stay quiet, but their attacks are backfiring and instead have motivated a new wave of LGBTQ leaders to run for office."

More than 340 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. The proposed legislation largely consists of measures that would limit transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity, access to gender-affirming care for trans people and the instruction of topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity at school.