SO MANY FIRSTS

America’s First Nonbinary State Legislator Elected in Oklahoma

“For me, this means a lot,” Mauree Turner, 27, said of her trailblazing win. “I have lived my whole life in the margins.”

Mauree Turner, an Oklahoma Democrat, has become the first Muslim to clinch a seat in the state’s legislature and the first nonbinary state legislator elected in U.S. history. The 27-year-old community organizer won the House District 88 race, defeating Republican Kelly Barlean with about 71 percent of the votes. “For me, this means a lot,” she told The Oklahoman of her trailblazing win. “I have lived my whole life in the margins.” Turner is nonbinary, identifying as neither male nor female. She celebrated the victory in Oklahoma—where there are just five openly LGBTQ elected officials—in a Tuesday night tweet, writing, “I have a lot of feelings about tonight. But overall, I’m grateful for HD88 granting me this opportunity.”