Fabian Nelson, a Black and gay Democratic candidate, could become the first out LGBTQ lawmaker to serve in the Mississippi Legislature. Nelson faces two opponents from his party in the August 8 primary. If successful, he would represent Mississippi’s majority-Black state capital, Jackson, and challenge the state’s conservative legislators.
Mississippi has a Republican trifecta, and lawmakers considered 31 anti-LGBTQ bills, more than anywhere else in the country. Nelson, who was involved in advocacy against these legislative proposals, noted the importance of mobilizing the public’s opposition to anti-equality bills. Unfortunately, Mississippi signed a measure barring access to guideline-directed gender-affirming healthcare interventions for youth with gender dysphoria into law.
Nelson’s campaign comes amid the scandal over the GOP-led Tennessee House of Representatives’ expulsion of two Black Democratic lawmakers from the chamber, which was widely denounced as racially motivated. Nelson acknowledged the challenges of racism and homophobia that he has continued to contend with as a candidate, along with the hostile political environment in which he would serve if elected.
Nelson has an expansive range of policy areas that he said will be major priorities should he win the House seat, from expanding Mississippi’s Medicaid program to fighting back against the conservatives’ disenfranchisement of his constituents in Jackson and their harmful anti-LGBTQ legislative proposals.
Entrenched issues of racial justice loom large over Nelson’s campaign. Mississippi’s Republican governor ousted the Black director of early childhood education, Barbara Cooper, for including teaching on concepts like inclusion and structural racism. Nelson’s supporters, including an 80-year-old Jackson resident whom he affectionately calls “Miss Emma,” have been the target of homophobic personal attacks.
To effectuate real change, Nelson said pro-equality candidates must run for office, fight for their constituents, establish relationships with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and communicate effectively with the public about what is (and is not) happening in the Capitol building. Engaging members of the public and bringing them into the fold is another crucial tool. If elected, Nelson would have to face a deeply conservative legislature, but he remains optimistic about the trajectory of his campaign and for the potential to move Mississippi in a better direction.
Four years ago, amid considerable pressure from the public, the GOP-controlled legislature replaced Mississippi’s state flag, which depicted the Confederate battle flag in its upper left canton. The new banner features a white magnolia blossom befitting the state’s official nickname. As Nelson campaigns for a better Mississippi, he wears a pin on his lapel with the new state flag.
