There were many factors that made Rick Neal decide to run as a Democratic candidate for US Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
But high on that list for the openly gay, stay-at-home dad from Columbus, Ohio, was the man currently occupying the White House.
"The gains that have been made by the LGBTI+ community over the past few years have been challenged. The president and his administration seem willing to use us for political gain," he told SBS News.
"We have to stand up and push back, and we the in the LGBTI+ community have a lot of experience in doing just that."
Rick Neal and his family. Source: Supplied
On 6 November, Americans will vote for who takes control of US Congress - made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. And whichever party controls the chambers sets the legislative agenda for the world's most powerful country.
Mr Neal is hoping to be part of a predicted Democratic sweep in the House of Representatives by defeating sitting Republican Steve Stivers in Ohio's 15th District.
The first-time candidate's CV is not that of a typical politician. He worked for the US Peace Corp in Morocco for five years as a teacher and health educator, then entered a career in public health which took him to places like Cambodia, the Congo, and Afghanistan.
Rick Neal is one of a record number of LGBT+ candidates this midterms. Source: Supplied
In 2014, he joined efforts to fight the Ebola outbreak in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, helping to set up a 100-bed field hospital.
Recently, he's been the primary carer for he and husband Tom Grote's two daughters, aged six and nine.
The family appeared in one of Mr Neal's ads earlier this year which made news around the state.
"It seems that was the first time a family like mine had been featured in a political ad in Ohio and that probably wouldn't have been possible even just a few years ago," he said.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing though. In July, Mr Neal discovered a neo-Nazi sticker outside his house which triggered a police investigation, an experience he called "unsettling".
But, Mr Neal said, this was only a "blip" and generally people have been "very, very positive" about his candidacy, on both sides of politics.
'One-sided' revolution
According to LGBTQ Victory Fund, a group that supports LGBTI+ candidates, Mr Neal is one part of an "unprecedented" number of LGBTI+ people running for office in the 2018 midterms.
In addition to US Congress, Americans will also vote for mayors, governors and state legislatures on Tuesday. And a report from LGBTQ Victory Fund says at least 399 openly LGBTI+ candidates are still in the race at various levels of politics.
But according to the group's data, the vast majority of openly LGBTI+ candidates are Democrats, especially at US federal level where the number of openly LGBTI+ Republicans has fallen to just one.
LGBTQ Victory Fund material says Republican Brian Evans is the only openly LGBTI+ Republican running at a federal level this year, hoping to snare a Congressional seat in Hawaii.
Th number of openly LGBTQI+ Republican nominees for US Congress has gone down. Source: LGBTQ Victory Fund
President and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund Annise Parker told SBS News from Washington DC that Donald Trump was a factor in many candidates' decisions to run.
"Donald Trump and his administration are actively working to dismantle many of the historic gains on LGBTQ equality," she said.
Since coming to office in early 2017, Mr Trump has called for the ejection of transgender people from the military, backed away from anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBTI+ workers and supported the right of businesses to cite religious principles in not serving LGBTI+ couples.
And a recently leaked Department of Health and Human Services memo proposed a strict definition of gender based on a person's genitalia at birth, which activists say is a direct attack on the transgender community.
A series of Mr Trump's tweets from July 27, 2017. Source: Twitter
"It took decades to advance a pro-equality agenda at the federal level and we made enormous progress under the Obama administration," Ms Parker said.
She said "the dramatic spike in openly LGBTQ people running for the highest levels of government is thrilling but one-sided, with just one openly LGBTQ Republican Congressional nominee who had no opposition."
"Instead of a 'rainbow wave' that should be celebrated by all Americans who believe in the wisdom of a truly representative government, we have a historic moment that is almost entirely partisan. This story will not change until the party of Lincoln rejects the divisive rhetoric and policies too many of its leaders rely on."
But Republicans have pushed back at the idea that Mr Trump is unfairly targeting the LGBTI+ community.
"The policies of the Trump administration are intended to improve the lives of all Americans, including the LGBTI+ community," White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah told US outlet Politico earlier this year.
He said this was being done through actions "aimed at making health care more affordable" and "rolling back burdensome regulations".
The history makers
Among the 399 openly LGBTI+ candidates still in the race, some in particular are making headlines.
Christine Hallquist, the Democratic nominee for governor of Vermont, could become the first ever transgender governor of a US state.
Before the race, 62-year-old Ms Hallquist was best known in her home state for leading the charge towards renewable energy and as a pioneering CEO.
Christine Hallquist speaks on the campaign trail. Source: Getty
She is convinced she can pull off an upset victory against a moderate and fairly popular Republican in a largely blue state.
She said in an AFP interview last month her gender status is "not an issue for Vermont," that it rarely comes up with voters and that for every death threat or vitriolic email, there are a hundred messages of support.
"Every time I go to an event ... people cry," she said. "I think there's so much hope for the leadership that I'm providing in terms of people who were bullied in school."
Every time I go to an event ... people cry. - Christine Hallquist
Fellow Democrat Jared Polis is trying to become first openly gay elected governor.
"I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of [vice president] Mike Pence, whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today," he said in a speech earlier this year.
In Texas, a state known for its conservative bent, Gina Ortiz Jones is trying to unseat Republican congressman Will Hurd. Should she win, Ms Ortiz Jones will be Texas' first gay woman, first Filipino woman and first Iraq War veteran ever elected to Congress.
She served under the US military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy, where she was at risk of losing a scholarship if her sexual orientation became public knowledge.
Gina Ortiz Jones, candidate for Texas' 23rd Congressional district. Source: Getty
While there's only one openly LGBTI+ Republican candidate at the federal level, there's a handful running at the state level.
Peter Boykin, founder of the "Gays for Trump" group, is hoping to be elected to North Carolina's legislature and make a difference in that state.
"The liberal gay community preaches peace, love, and tolerance but they only extend it to people who think like they do," he says on his website.
But he adds that "I think what needs to happen is both sides need to work together to promote peace, understanding and tolerance so that we can talk to each other once again and exchange ideas".
Additional reporting: AFP
Source: SBS News
