Indianapolis Council has historic number of LGBTQ members

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Four members of the Indianapolis City-County Council openly identify as members of the LGBTQ community, which is the most ever for the legislative body, according to a published report.

Newly-elected member Ali Brown, who is bisexual, said none of the candidates won in November for that reason.

'œNone of that was part of (anything) groundbreaking or anything like that," Brown told the Indianapolis Star in a story published Sunday. 'œIt was just something that was.'ť

But LGBTQ advocates hope it means their concerns are better heard.

"The only expectation we have is that they listen to our community and provide a voice to the issues important to our community," said Chris Handberg, executive director of Indy Pride. 'œWhereas in the past, we have not had easy access to lawmakers and politicians and leaders to be able to provide some of that.'ť

The candidates were elected as part of a Democratic wave on the council. Indiana's legislature is overwhelmingly Republican.

Zach Adamson was the first openly-gay man on the council. He was first elected in 2011 re-elected in November. The others elected for the first time were Brown, Keith Potts, who is gay, and Ethan Evans, who is bisexual.