History has its eyes on Governor Jared Polis
For minority and marginalized folks in the United States, politics has been a harrowing arena in recent years. Representation among our elected and appointed officials was certainly something that was lacking during Trump’s MAGA reign. Since President Biden took office, over 200 members of the LGBTQ+ community have been appointed to office, including folks from the transgender community. However, prior to this, there were a few champions charging forward and fighting the good fight. In January 2019, during the midst of the Trump presidency, Jared Polis was elected as the Governor of Colorado. He was the first openly gay man and father to ever take a Governorship in the history of the United States. He later married his longtime spouse, with whom he shares two children.
In a time where the United States seems to be on the precipice of change (good, or bad remains to be seen at this point), representation like Polis has never been more important for the LGBTQ+ community. So who is Jared Polis and why is he so important for the political future of the LGBTQ+ community? Here is everything we know.
Who is Jared Polis?
Now 46 years old, Jared Polis first came out to his sister when he was 21. He comes from a family that believes in public service and giving back to the community. It is therefore not surprising that his mother, a filmmaker, made a film geared toward parents of LGBTQ+ kids. Titled Anyone and Everyone the film documents the shared experiences of parents across the country.
Polis started his professional life while he was still in college. He founded and co-founded several lucrative internet businesses which made his mark on the online business community.
In 2000, Polis was elected to the Colorado State Board of education. He served for six years and functioned as both the Vice Chairman and the Chairman. It was a narrow race though, and he almost didn’t get the seat. He beat his incumbent by a narrow ninety votes!
In 2008, Polis won the primary election for Colorado’s 2nd congressional district and his political career has only been on the rise since then. In 2018 Polis announced his candidacy for Governor and beat his Republican opponent by 53.4%. He ran as an out gay man and is now the only out gay man and father to serve in that role.
Being gay and the vote
A decade ago, being an out gay man and getting elected to any political post in this country were not two things that went together. Now though, according to Polis’ experience, being gay and a politician is less of a problem than one might expect.
According to The Guardian, Polis’ sexuality was a non-issue during his election campaign. “It hardly ever came up. I mean, people are more interested in what you’re going to do to improve our schools and fix our roads and keep our economy strong, address the high cost of living, and make sure we have good jobs here in Colorado. Those are the issues that people care about.”
Perhaps that has something to do with where he is from. According to Polis, Colorado just doesn’t care about the gay factor as much as some other places do. “ there’s many LGBT members of our legislature, LGBT county commissioners, and it really is not an issue for folks. People are much more concerned with what you’re going to do in office,” Polis told The Guardian.
LGBTQ+ politics
Despite being a pandemic Governor, Polis has managed to get things done on a political level for the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado. He signed the Restoration of Honor Act which serves as a “reminder” to the federal government of those who were dishonorably discharged from the military simply because of sexual orientation.
Veterans who were previously discharged because of their LGBTQ+ status lost their right to state-level benefits. Polis says that this bill is a step in the right direction, maneuvering to repair some of the damage that was caused by the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy and LGBTQ bans in military service.
Under Polis’ leadership, Colorado has also stepped up its support for the transgender community. Recently, Colorado became the first state in the country to require all health insurers to cover transition-related care for transgender people.
The Polis/Reis family
Polis and Reis have been together for eighteen years and share two young children together. After they were both diagnosed with Covid-19 in 2020, Polis proposed. They married soon after.
Reis is a writer and an animal rights activist as well as the First Gentleman of the state of Colorado. He was the first ever appointed man in a same-sex relationship to be given that title. His life is full of the shared responsibility of raising their children and branching out into the world of advocacy, especially for those in the LGBTQ+ community.
The Polis/Reis family is definitely a breath of fresh air for the political landscape in the United States. While there is still a long way to go, and many battles to fight, their family is living proof that change is possible, and change is happening.
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