John Mason Kicks Off Gay Pride Month with Historic Official Primary Challenge to Rep. Ilhan Omar in Minnesota 5th
Mason Makes Minnesota History as First Out LGBTQ+ Black Man to Run for US Congress. Seeks to Make American History as First Out LGBTQ+ Black Man to Serve.
MINNEAPOLIS, June 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the beginning of Gay Pride Month, John Mason made Minnesota history by officially entering the Democratic (DFL) Primary against sitting Representative Ilhan Omar in Minnesota. "During this especially turbulent time in our history, I am running because we need leadership who will actually make change that can be enacted into law. We need someone who will represent all of the people of my district. I am running to bring forth a united and inclusive Minnesota that stands up against all forms of hate and discrimination – including racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia. In politics, who you are matters as much as what you stand for. Representation Matters," said Mason.
"Rep. Omar has failed to represent all of her constituents. Her peers in the US House of Representatives admonished her last year when Omar made anti-Semitic comments. Yet, Rep. Omar failed our LGBTQ+ community as she did not attempt to include homophobic hate speech in that House Resolution 183. I will work to make sure homophobic hate speech is acknowledged," said Mason.
Mason's campaign notes that several Omar supporters have made homophobic remarks on his Facebook ads and have sent many emails containing homophobic hate speech to the campaign. "We hope that Rep. Omar would ask her supporters to stop spewing hate against John and the LGBTQ+. This is the very kind of hate that we are trying to stop," said the campaign chair.
Mason wishes to use his 30-plus years of executive and public leadership experience to make meaningful change. "Seeing what Minnesota has gone through this last week has amplified the importance of my united and inclusive message. I have worked on these issues all my life including at the U of MN Senate for Diversity and Inclusion. My years of working to make change in policies of government, academia, and Fortune 500 companies will be important as we work to change our laws," said Mason. "At a time that so many things are seeking to divide us – race, religion, politics – we need someone who gets it. We need someone who represents all of the people of the Fifth. We need someone with credibility on the issues and is not beholden to special interests or wealthy donors."
"I'm a proud supporter of Black Lives Matter. I also know why representation matters. I know what it's like to be abused by the police. I will work effectively drawing on what I learned during my years of leadership experience in public and private sector organizations to make changes for all of us so what happened to George Floyd never happens again," said Mason.
Media Contact:
Nick Leonard, Campaign Chair
612.805.0089 / [email protected]
www.JohnMasonMN.com
SOURCE John Mason, Mason for Minnesota
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