“I am grateful to live my life in service to the health & safety of my neighbors.”

them: Molly Cook Just Became Texas’ First Out LGBTQ+ State Senator

Texas voters elected nurse and community organizer Molly Cook to the state Senate in a special election this weekend, marking the first time an openly LGBTQ+ Texan has held a seat in the upper chamber.

Cook, who is bisexual, wrote that she is “joyfully indebted” to her campaign staff and volunteers in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

“We are not missing a beat or taking anything for granted,” Cook wrote. “I am grateful to live my life in service to the health & safety of my neighbors.”

During the campaign, Cook has so far attacked Johnson on his connections to conservative “dark money” and votes in favor of Republican bills. Johnson has called Cook’s criticisms “mind-boggling and baffling,” and asserted Cook does not have enough political experience to lead. Though Cook beat Johnson by a roughly 14-point margin, Johnson has claimed the results were warped by low voter turnout, according to local outlet Houston Landing.

Though her official platform is light on specific policy recommendations, Cook has expressed strong support for LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms generally, noting that trans Texans are “in the cross hairs of hateful policymaking” and at a heightened risk for violence. She has previously opposed Abbott’s policies against gender-affirming care, and testified against a bill last year that would have banned research into juvenile sexual behavior.