Voters in Trenton, New Jersey have
picked Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, an openly gay man, as mayor.
Gusciora, who came out in 2006 to
become New Jersey's first out legislator, beat Paul Perez by 355
votes in a runoff election.
“I was in the West Ward at Grace
Community Church and this 80-year-old woman, she goes, 'I can care
less what you do in your bedroom. I want these potholes fixed,'”
Gusciora told The
Trentonian.
As a Democratic member of the General
Assembly, Gusciora, 58, co-sponsored a bill that sought to extend
marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. Republican Governor
Chris Christie vetoed the legislation. Gay couples began marrying in
New Jersey after the state's highest court struck down the state's
ban in 2013.
In its 2013 Municipal Equality Index
(MEI), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT
rights advocate, ranked New Jersey's capital as the least
gay-friendly city in the state.