Jabari Brisport Becomes New York's First Black LGBTQ+ State Legislator

A third-generation Caribbean-American and a public school teacher born in Brooklyn, gay man Jabari Brisport will represent New York's 25th district in the state Senate while making history as the state's first LGBTQ+ legislator of color, according to Patch.

A community activist, Brisport ran unopposed on Election Day, having beaten his Democratic challenger, New York Assembly member Tremaine Wright, in the primary.

Brisport ran on a progressive platform promising to represent his community and the intersections of his identities.

"Jabari will fight to provide a home for every New Yorker, to guarantee quality healthcare to all, to invest in public schools, to empower workers, to tackle the global climate crisis, and to create a world where Black Lives Matter," his campaign website reads.

"At a time when movements to end racism, police brutality and disparities in healthcare are awakening the nation, Jabari's groundbreaking victory ensures there is a legislator in Albany who can turn protests into policy," President and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund Annise Parker said in a statement following his historic win.

"His experiences as a Black LGBTQ man will provide an essential perspective that has never been represented in the New York state legislature and will pave the way for a government that is more representative of the people it serves. Jabari shattered a rainbow ceiling in New York and his victory will encourage more people like him to step up and run."

Brisport's state Senate run is his second time in the political ring. In 2017, he ran for City Council, garnering about 30 percent of the vote and building name recognition, according to his website.