In his office in Byram, Fabian Nelson is still cleaning up after the watch party he hosted Tuesday night, the same night he won the Democratic primary run-off election for House District 66. Now he is poised to be the first openly gay-identifying Mississippi legislator.
Nelson says the support has been overwhelming.
“I'm getting phone calls from people all over the country saying that when I woke up and I saw the results come in, I felt like I had been reborn. … I see a new day for Mississippi.”
Nelson will not have a republican challenger in November for the seat, which represents parts of Jackson.
He says a personal goal for his first year is to help other Jackson lawmakers re-assert influence after House Bill 1020 was passed by republican supermajorities.
“We got to be vocal about that and we have to fight because we cannot have that happening,” he said. “The argument that was made is the fact that we spend so much time in Hinds county when we're in a session … [the lawmakers] spend three months here. When [they] go back home, the legislation that [they are] passing is still affecting us.”
While most of the coverage around Nelson's victory has centered around his sexual identity, he says he intentionally did not make that a central part of his campaign. He did express concern for transgender youth in the state, saying that lawmakers were not totally transparent about the recently passed transgender care legislation.
“What they did not tell people is there were several other things in that bill which restricted health care for trans youth,” he said. “Things like therapy, things that our transgender youth need.”
Nelson says he plans to represent people in his district by pushing for Medicaid expansion, a fully funded education system, and economic development.
District 66 covers parts of Hinds County including South Jackson, Terry and Byram.
