The state of Georgia appointed its first openly gay male state legislator on Election Day when they voted for Sam Park — the son of Korean immigrants — to serve in the state’s House of Representatives.
Park, 31, who is now also the lone Asian American representative in Georgia’s House, beat out three-time incumbent Republican Valerie Clark by four points in a tight race separated by about 800 votes with a campaign centered around healthcare and income equality, according to The Georgia Voice.
Park will be now be representing approximately 85,000 residents living in Gwinnett County, the second-most populated area in the state. He told NBC News that his identity will play a role in connecting communities. “I’m a gay, Christian, Korean man sitting in the intersection of faith, sexual orientation and ethnicity,” Park said. “I feel that being myself, I have the opportunity to build bridges between communities that haven’t seen eye to eye — or may have necessarily been aware of one another.”
He went on to say that his decision to run for office was sparked when his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and was only given six months to live. However, they were able to find treatment through Medicare and Medicaid. “When my mom was diagnosed, everything kind of hit home in terms of what I wanted to do with my life, and who I wanted to serve,” Park said. “It dawned on me that having access to healthcare is a matter of life or death.”
Park also cited his faith in terms of advocating for the LGBT community in a unique way.
“I am of the opinion that (some parts of) Christianity has been turned, and distorted into hate,” he told The Georgia Voice. “For me, it’s very unfortunate that the people who share my faith are people who are leading the charge against the [LGBT] community.”
Park now joins state Reps. Karla Drenner, Park Cannon Keisha Waites as openly gay lawmakers for the state of Georgia.
