National LGBTQ Activist Endorses Brookline's Alan Khazei

From The Alan Khazei Campaign: Holly Ryan, a Newton City Councilor and nationally recognized advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, today announced she is endorsing Alan Khazei for Congress in Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District. Her endorsement comes on the heels of Congressman Jamie Raskin’s endorsement of Khazei. With her announcement, she also announced she will serve as an advisor on LBGTQ+ Community Engagement for Khazei’s campaign:

“I am endorsing Alan Khazei for Congress because I trust him to be a national advocate on behalf of the LBGTQ+ community,” said Councilor Ryan, “Alan has dedicated his life to building intersectional coalitions, leading national movements, and empowering marginalized communities. At a time when we, the members of the LGBTQ+ community, find ourselves under constant attack and fearful of our safety, it is imperative to elect a leader like Alan who will fight to protect our rights. He has been a lifelong activist who has delivered big, progressive results, and I trust him to lead the charge in protecting our community.”

Councilor Ryan is a trailblazer in both Massachusetts and national politics. She was the first openly trans person to be elected to a city council in Massachusetts, and she is the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve on the Newton City Council. In addition, she was one of the founding members and former chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, where she spearheaded the effort to pass both the 2011 Trans Rights Law and 2016 Public Accommodation Law. She currently serves as co-chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s LBGTQ+ Caucus, is a Bay State Stonewall Democrats board member, and previously served as the LGBTQ+ Liaison to the Mayor of Newton for two years, where she implemented Newton’s first Pride Month celebration.

“This congressional seat has been a recent champion of LGBTQ+ rights nationally. Representative Joe Kennedy, as chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force, has led the charge in protecting the rights of trans people across the country. I support Alan because I trust him to fill Rep. Kennedy’s shoes and further the groundbreaking work Rep. Kennedy has done on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community,” added Councilor Ryan.

Alan Khazei said: “I am so honored to have the endorsement of Councilor Ryan, a leader whose impact can be seen both in her own community of Newton and across our nation. For decades, Holly has led the fight for the LGBTQ+ community, and I look forward to working alongside her to both protect and empower the community. I am committed to upholding the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and legislating on behalf of community members both in the 4th District and beyond.”
Councilor Ryan joins Four-Star General Stanley McChrystal, Congressman Jamie Raskin, and local leaders including Hubie Jones and Colette Phillips in backing Alan Khazei’s bid for Kennedy’s Congressional seat. Councilor Ryan and Congressman Raskin will be holding a joint fundraiser for Khazei on Friday, January 31st in Brookline.

The press release was produced by The Alan Khazei Campaign . The views are the author's own.