US election wins you might have missed: Hawaii Representative Adrian Tam

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Aside from the obvious one, the United States 2020 presidential election has brought on many wins for the future of the US and for humanity at large. Follow along this series to learn about the people who made history in the elections and to find more reasons for celebration.

By all means, there is still so much wrong with the US and world politics at large, but for a moment we get to bask in the good news. To prolong the feelings of hope and energise us to take action, we will be sharing more good news regarding people who have been recently elected or appointed to serve the people of the US.

I always say a legislature should reflect what a state looks like. I am glad to be the only one, but I hope I am not the last one

Member of Hawaii House of Representatives Adrian Tam

28-year-old Adrian Tam won a seat in the Hawaii House of representative making him the only openly gay representative serving in the Hawaii state legislature.

 Adrian Tam, the son of two immigrants from Hong Kong and Taiwan, won 63 percent of the votes against his opponent Republican Nicholas Ochs. Ochs who had made headlines numerous times with his racist, xenophobic and homophobic comments is also the leader of the Hawaii chapter of the paramilitary fascist group Proud Boys.

Throughout the campaign, Tam was faced with openly racist and homophobic attacks from the Ochs campaign but the attacks didn’t phase his quest to serve the people of Hawaii. In September, Facebook deleted Ochs’ campaign page for violating terms of service and community standards.

Tam said he’s received messages of support from all over the world, especially from places where being gay illegal. He said, “I always say representation matters. I am glad that I can bring that perspective to the legislature when it comes to making decisions. I always say a legislature should reflect what a state looks like. I am glad to be the only one, but I hope I am not the last one”.

Adrian Tam stands for defeating homelessness, providing education and protecting the environment in Hawaii. If you share the same passions as Tam, you can support these causes by donating to the organisations below. All organisations are vetted by our research team and are amongst the best in their fields.

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