A Step Forward ... A Two-Step Forward

While you were out and about yesterday, living your life, doing your thing, did you feel it?

History being made.

Yup, the US Senate made history when it voted to confirm Darrin Gayles to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Gayles, who was confirmed 98-0, is the country’s first openly gay African-American man to be confirmed to the federal bench.

And his confirmation came right after the Senate confirmed Staci Yandle to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, by a vote of 52-44. Yandle is the first African-American lesbian federal judge in over twenty years, just the second one in the history of this country—the first, Judge Deborah Batts, was sworn in during June 1994.

"Never before in the course of the history of our state has there been an Article III federal judge who is openly a member of the LGBT community. In short, Staci Yandle's confirmation marks another important milestone in America's journey toward equality of opportunity."—Senator Dick Durbin

Equality for both the black community and the gay community. All at once, in the same day; twice.

Sidenote: President Obama has already nominated more African-American judges and openly gay and lesbian judges than any of his predecessors.

Of course, that’s not really a surprise, since he is the country’s first African-American president and the first president to fully embrace, and stand up for, the LGBT community.

sources:

The Huffington Post

Lambda Legal