Raúl Grijalva began his career in public service as a community organizer in Tucson. Four decades later, he continues to be an advocate for those in need and a voice for the constituents of his home community. From 1974 to 1986, Raúl served on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, including six years as Chairman. In 1988, he was elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where he served for the next 15 years, chairing the Board for two of those years. Raúl resigned his seat on the Board of Supervisors in 2002 to seek office in Arizona’s newly created Seventh Congressional District. Despite a nine-candidate primary and the challenge of being outspent three-to-one by his closest competitor, Raúl was elected with a 20-point victory, thanks to a diverse coalition of supporters that led the largest volunteer-driven election effort in Arizona.
A major part of being a Representative to the people of Arizona’s Third District is working to ensure that all of my constituents, regardless of their backgrounds, are treated equally and with the dignity and respect they deserve. LGBTQ Americans continue to face large obstacles in this respect, whether it be executive orders that ban transgender persons from serving our country in the military, or horrific acts of targeted violence against members of the LGBTQ community, as we saw in Orlando with the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
Despite this, time and time again we have witnessed the resiliency of the LGBTQ community to overcome the social and institutional discrimination they face in order to enact meaningful change. Thanks to their advocacy and activism, our courts finally recognize what we have known all along: that love is love. As the fight for equality marches on, I will continue to work in Congress to create laws and policies that respect each other’s humanity, and fosters an environment of inclusion for all Americans, including our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.