Delaware bear and drag performer defeats Democratic lawmaker who attempted to smear him
Incumbent Democratic lawmaker, Earl Jacques, Jr., who voted against equal marriage, has been defeated by his beary opponent, who is also a popular local gay drag performer, Eric Morrison. We love our bears and our queens here at Bear World, so this is great news!
Jaques, who has sat in the Delaware House of Representatives since 2009, lost to progressive challenger, Morrison – who performs under the moniker Anita Mann. Morrison claimed 61.13 per cent of the vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for house district 27, while Jaques received only 38.87 per cent. Members of Delaware’s LGBTQ community took to Twitter to celebrate.
During the campaign, Jaques attempted to smear his opponent for performing in drag at a recent fundraiser. “That is so far off-base for our district, it’s unbelievable,” Jacques told local media. “You wonder what the point is. You can have fundraisers, I don’t care about that. But dressing in drag? Really?”
He also stated: “I’m not sure he represents the people who attend those places of religion [in the area]. If he’s actually having a fundraiser in drag, I don’t think those churches would endorse that.” However, it has now been made clear that more than 60 per cent of Democratic voters in Delaware have no problem at all with drag queens, and they are totally not here for Jacques’ narrow-minded bigotry.
Morrison’s campaign made it a point to note that the lawmaker “voted against same-sex marriage in 2013, and refused to vote yes or no on banning the barbaric practice of conversion therapy for Delaware’s LGBT minors in 2013.” Morrison is now believed to be the first out gay man to serve on Delaware’s General Assembly.
In a Facebook post, Morrison thanked his supporters by writing: “This morning, I am overwhelmed with emotions—but most of all with gratitude. Thank you to our incredible core team members. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who knocked doors, made calls, stuffed envelopes, attended events, greeted voters at the polls, delivered yard signs and volunteer ‘goody bags,’ and many other important tasks. Thank you to our donors who believe that political candidates and elected officials can and should be funded by the people. Thank you to the nine people-focused activist organisations that endorsed us. Thank you to anyone who did anything to support our campaign in the biggest or smallest of ways.”
“This isn’t over! Before we know it, the general election will be here on November 3, and we face two candidates—a Republican and a libertarian. But for today, we celebrate and we THANK YOU for your support. I look forward to taking every remaining step of this exciting journey with you,” he added.
