An anti-LGBTQ+ extremist is running for senate in Nevada. We can’t let him win.

I’m a proud Las Vegas native, I met my wife here, and we’ve built our life together in Nevada.

Nevada is proud to be a diverse and inclusive state. We were the first in the nation to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in its laws and constitution. 

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People from different backgrounds come from all over the country to call Nevada home – it’s a point of pride for our state. And it’s why Nevadans rightfully expect our elected officials to uphold this welcoming environment.

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At a time when the LGBTQ+ community is facing unprecedented attacks and attempts to roll back our hard-fought rights, it’s more important than ever that Nevadans have a U.S. Senator who will fight for us, not one who refuses to support protections for LGBTQ+ Nevadans and would join D.C. Republicans in their efforts to take away our protections. 

Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sam Brown has been in the news for his “dismal” record on LGBTQ+ rights. Brown refused to support protections for marriage equality, praised anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and even served as the Nevada president of an extreme anti-LGBTQ+ organization. His record proves he would be a direct threat to LGBTQ+ Nevadans across our state. 

As recently as October of 2023, Sam Brown led the local chapter of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, which has openly criticized marriage equality and supports legislation that would allow individuals and businesses to openly discriminate against same-sex couples. The extreme organization called the Respect for Marriage Act – which simply requires states to recognize all marriages legally performed in other states – “an attack on religious liberty.”

When he ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, Sam Brown refused to support protections for marriage equality, even when asked directly if he was concerned about this right being taken away after the Supreme Court took away another longstanding right in overturning Roe v. Wade.

Brown has even praised Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which targets LGBTQ+ youth and educators by placing bans on any and all instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity and forcing school staff and students to misgender one another. Sam Brown gave glowing approval of the bill, telling right-wing conspiracy theorist Wayne Allyn Root, “that sort of indoctrination has no place in our schools.” 

Brown has also spewed hateful stereotypes about the transgender community and pushed an inaccurate and dangerous narrative about women’s sports. 

This kind of ideology has no place in Nevada. Sam Brown’s record makes him a clear threat to LGBTQ+ Nevadans, and he cannot be trusted to stand up for our rights. 

At a time when LGBTQ+ children and adults are facing harassment and threats of violence, when more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in states across the country, when Supreme Court Justices are opening the door to overturning same-sex marriage protections – we need leaders who will stand up for our community. Sam Brown’s history of intolerant statements and repeated associations with anti-equality extremists make clear that he would not side with LGBTQ+ Nevadans.

Senator Jacky Rosen (D) has been a staunch leader in protecting LGBTQ+ rights. She helped pass the historic and bipartisan legislation to protect marriage equality at the federal level, and she has been a champion for the Equality Act to federally prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

As the first chair of the Nevada Legislature LGBTQ+ Caucus, my team and I will continue working to elect pro-equality leaders at the federal level like Senator Rosen who align with our commitment to keeping Nevada an inclusive and welcoming state for all of us.

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