LaWana Mayfield, an out lesbian, on
Tuesday won the Democratic primary for a Charlotte, North Carolina
City Council seat.
Mayfield received 51 percent of the
vote, beating out incumbent Warren Turner, who garnered 34 percent.
A third candidate, Svend Deal, received 15 percent of the vote.
Mayfield, a community organizer, is
heavily favored to win the November 8 general election against her
Republican rival, Ed Toney, because the district traditionally backs
Democrats. If elected, she would become the first openly gay or
lesbian member of the Charlotte City Council.
“It's time for a real change in
Charlotte, and real change is coming. This is a big first step, and
I'm grateful for the trust this community has placed in me,”
Mayfield
said. “On to November!”
Mayfield's candidacy is supported by
the Victory Fund, a group dedicated to electing openly gay
candidates.
“We're extremely proud of LaWana and
her campaign team,” Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory
Fund, said in a statement. “Charlotte is a major U.S. city with a
substantial LGBT population, but it still has never elected an openly
gay or lesbian member of the city council and the city still has no
major ordinances protecting LGBT citizens from discrimination.”