Mauree Turner made history winning the race for Oklahoma state House for District 88 — becoming the first nonbinary state legislator in US history.
Turner is now also the first Muslim legislator in Oklahoma.
According to the Oklahoma State Election Board unofficial results, Turner, 27, beat out Republican candidate Kelly Barlean, securing an impressive 71% of the votes.
People who identify as nonbinary identify as neither male nor female.
“I have a lot of feelings about tonight,” Turner tweeted. “But overall, I’m grateful for HD88 granting me this opportunity.” She posted the tweet with an image saying, “The real work begins. The future is now.”
“Mauree is now a trailblazer for non-binary people and their courage to run openly will inspire more non-binary people to pursue careers in elected office,” said the president and CEO for LGBTQ Victory Fund, Annise Parker, in a statement, celebrating Turner’s historic win.
Turner remained humble following her victory.
“It’s a feeling that I can’t really put into words, and when I think about it I get real choked up. But I’m really thankful for it,” Turner said. “A lot of people don’t know how much you risk putting your name on the ballot if you’re not a white cis-het man. And it was a lot of work to get here, and I had to put faith in my community to catch me when I jumped, and they did.”
Turner added: “It means a lot and to be able to put faces to those things. It’s really a humbling experience because I remember looking for someone who looked like me when it came to leadership.”
