Illinois elects fourth openly gay State Representative
Wed. November 7, 2012 3:10 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
Grayslake, IL -
Illinois has elected it's fourth openly gay member of the Illinois House of Representatives. Democrat Sam Yingling won the 62nd district over Republican incumbent Sandy Cole.
"This is a very important and historic win because Mr. Yingling is the first openly gay State Representative to be elected outside of Chicago," said Anthony Martinez, Executive Director for The Civil Rights Agenda. "This shows that constituents in Illinois are no longer concerned with the sexual orientation of their representative, but the capability of the individual."
The 32-year-old Yingling is from Grayslake. As Avon Township supervisor, Yingling was a leading proponent for property tax reform.
The 62nd District is located in Lake County and includes all or parts of Grayslake, Hainesville, Round Lake Park, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake, Long Lake, Third Lake, Waukegan, Lake Villa, Gurnee, Wildwood and Gages Lake.
"This is a very important and historic win because Mr. Yingling is the first openly gay State Representative to be elected outside of Chicago," said Anthony Martinez, Executive Director for The Civil Rights Agenda. "This shows that constituents in Illinois are no longer concerned with the sexual orientation of their representative, but the capability of the individual."
The 32-year-old Yingling is from Grayslake. As Avon Township supervisor, Yingling was a leading proponent for property tax reform.
The 62nd District is located in Lake County and includes all or parts of Grayslake, Hainesville, Round Lake Park, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake, Long Lake, Third Lake, Waukegan, Lake Villa, Gurnee, Wildwood and Gages Lake.