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Nelson ran on a three-pronged platform that included economic development, better funding for education, and affordable healthcare, according to his official website<\/a>. Mississippi currently ranks 49th among the 50 states in both health care and education, according to U.S. News and World Report<\/a>. Earlier this year, it became one of 10 states, all led by Republicans<\/a>, to reject federal dollars to help make sure that people experiencing poverty have access to health insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoters in Mississippi should be proud of the history they\u2019ve made but also proud to know they\u2019ll be well-represented by Fabian,\u201d Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, said in a statement. \u201cWe look forward to seeing him take his seat in the legislature and champion a better Mississippi for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the year began, Mississippi legislators introduced 31 anti-LGBTQ+ bills<\/a>, with the governor signing and enacting a ban on gender-affirming care<\/a> in February. At the time, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said that giving trans youth access to gender-affirming care \u201cthreatens our children\u2019s innocence, and it threatens their health,\u201d according to NBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Advocates for Nelson see his election during this anti-LGBTQ+ political climate as a powerful symbol. \u201cIt sends a real message in a time when we are seeing attacks legislatively and through violence against the LGBTQ+ community that the majority of people reject that kind of animus,\u201d Rob Hill, state director of the Human Rights Campaign\u2019s Mississippi chapter, told the AP. \u201cI think a lot of youth around the state who have felt like their leaders are rejecting them or targeting them won\u2019t feel as lonely today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emphasizing his community ties, Nelson himself said that he understands the issues people like him face and that he wants to be a voice for marginalized Mississippians. \u201cAt the end of the day, I put my suit on the same way every other person who walks in that statehouse does,\u201d Nelson told the AP. \u201cI\u2019m going to walk in there, and I\u2019m going to be a sound voice as to why things like this can\u2019t continue to go on in the state of Mississippi.\u201d<\/p>\n

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[ad_1] Nelson ran on a three-pronged platform that included economic development, better funding for education, and affordable healthcare, according to his official website. Mississippi currently ranks 49th among the 50 states in both health care and education, according to U.S. News and World Report. Earlier this year, it became one of 10 states, all led<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[39],"class_list":{"0":"post-4690","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lifestyle"},"yoast_head":"\n