US: Maura Healey to make history as first openly gay state Attorney General
Massachusetts Democrat Maura Healey is set to make history as the first openly gay Attorney General in the US.
Ms Healey – a former equality lawyer who fought against the Defence of Marriage Act – became the Democratic candidate in Massachusetts after a surprise victory in the September primaries.
In the November election, she trounced Republican John B Miller with 61.7% of the vote – well above his 38.2%.
Ms Healey’s term as Massachusetts Attorney General is set to begin officially on January 1, when she takes over from outgoing Democrat Martha Coakley.
The former equality lawyer told MassLive: “To the extent my run and my election can serve as a reminder that we should be judged on who we are and what we do and not on our race or sexual orientation or our gender, that’s a good thing. We shouldn’t let those things be barriers.”
“The fact that I’m gay didn’t become the story of my candidacy or this campaign, and I think that’s a sign of progress and where we are in the state.
“I didn’t see [DOMA] as a personal fight. I believe equality should be on everyone’s agenda. This was a civil rights case.”
Kara Coredin of MassEquality said: “I think any time a community is able to break a glass ceiling and send a message that increasingly the sky is the limit, that’s important.”
