几个候选人在反LGBTQ平台上竞选赢得了他们的比赛在2022年中期选举中，LGBTQ权利的缩减成为保守派选举周期中的一个关键问题。
但当晚，公开的LGBTQ候选人也在全国各地的几场竞选中获胜。
许多领导反LGBTQ立法的现任州长——包括阿拉巴马州州长凯·艾维、佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯、得克萨斯州州长格雷格·艾伯特和俄克拉荷马州州长凯文·斯蒂特——再次当选。
“我们拒绝觉醒的意识形态，”德桑蒂斯在他的选举之夜演讲中说。“我们永远不会屈服于被唤醒的议程。人们来到这里是因为我们的政策。”
在斯蒂特的获胜演讲中，他提到了他最近的一些立法，包括禁止非二元性别标记，禁止跨性别青年参加与其性别身份相符的运动队，以及限制公立学校课堂上围绕种族和性别的讨论。
“我们将尊重父母的权利，保护他们在本州孩子教育问题上的发言权。斯蒂特说:“我们将把重点放在教育孩子上，而不是灌输给他们。”。
根据人权运动的说法，去年推出了300多项法案，旨在获得性别确认护理、学校中的同性恋身份以及在教育、医疗保健和体育领域影响LGBTQ人群的其他领域。
超过5000万美元花费在LGBTQ攻击广告上据人权运动组织称，在选举前的最后几天，在25个州。
然而，反LGBTQ的信息没起作用对于一些竞选失败的候选人，包括表达了这些观点的候选人，包括密歇根州共和党州长候选人Tudor Dixon，宾夕法尼亚州参议院候选人Mehmet Oz博士和宾夕法尼亚州州长候选人Doug Mastriano。
“这是一个失败的策略，试图进一步制造仇恨和分裂以及其他跨性别人士，并用这些攻击性广告来非人化他们，这不仅是卑鄙的，但选民们看穿了这一点，”人权委员会的全国竞选主任杰夫·韦特罗斯基说。
与保守派反对LGBTQ权利的言论越来越多形成对比的是，这个选举周期对LGBTQ群体来说是一个历史性的周期。全国公开的LGBTQ候选人竞选公职并当选的人数创下纪录。
Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey, candidate for Massachusetts governor, speaks during a Democratic election night party, Nov. 8, 2022, in Boston.
迈克尔·德怀尔/美联社
活动人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，胜利的浪潮为美国的LGBTQ平等带来了希望。据报道，迄今为止，至少有340名公开参加中期选举的LGBTQ候选人赢得了州和美国的席位政治倡导团体LGBTQ胜利基金。
“我们知道，当年轻人、LGBTQ人群和有色人种前往投票站，反对压制性和倒退性的政策和候选人时，我们就会取得胜利，就像我们在亚利桑那州、科罗拉多州、堪萨斯州、马里兰州、宾夕法尼亚州、密歇根州和佛蒙特州看到的那样，”全国LGBTQ特别工作组行动基金执行主任基拉·约翰逊说。
LGBTQ社区在代表中看到胜利根据LGBTQ胜利基金，所有50个州都有同性恋候选人参加竞选。
马萨诸塞州的Maura Healey和俄勒冈州的Tina Kotek当选为美国历史上第一位公开的女同性恋州长。几个州已经有了第一批公开的跨性别、同性恋和非二元选举的官员。
“今晚，我想对每一个小女孩和每一个年轻的LGBTQ人士说些什么:我希望今晚向你展示，你可以成为任何人，任何你想成为的人，”希利在周二的胜利演讲中说。
LGBTQ rights supporters and opponents see wins on election night
Several candidates running on anti-LGBTQ platformswon their racesin the 2022 midterm elections, as the scaling back of LGBTQ rights became a key issue in this election cycle for conservatives.
But the night also saw wins for openly LGBTQ candidates in several races across the country.
Many of the incumbents that have led the charge on anti-LGBTQ legislation – including Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt – were reelected to their seats.
"We reject woke ideology," DeSantis said in his election night speech. "We will never ever surrender to the woke agenda. People have come here because of our policies."
In Stitt's victory speech, he referenced some of his recent legislation, which includes a ban on nonbinary gender markers, a ban on trans youth participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity and restrictions on discussions around race and gender in public school classrooms.
"We're going to respect parents' rights and protect their say in their children's education in our state. We're going to focus on teaching kids and not indoctrinating them," Stitt said.
More than 300 bills have been introduced in the last year targeting access to gender-affirming care, queer identity in schools and other areas impacting LGBTQ people in education, healthcare and sports, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Over $50 million wasspent in LGBTQ attack advertisementsin 25 states in the final days before the election, according to the Human Right Campaign.
However, anti-LGBTQ messagingdidn't workfor some candidates who lost their races, including candidates who expressed such views including Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz and Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.
"That was a failed strategy, to try to create further hate and division and other trans folks and dehumanize them with these attack ads was not only despicable, but voters saw through it," said Geoff Wetrosky, HRC's national campaign director.
In contrast to the growing rhetoric against LGBTQ rights from conservatives, this election cycle was a historic one for the LGBTQ community. A record number of openly LGBTQ candidates ran for office and were elected across the country.
Activists told ABC News that the wave of wins act as a breath of hope for LGBTQ equality in the U.S. At least 340 openly LGBTQ candidates running in the midterms won state and U.S. seats thus far, according topolitical advocacy group LGBTQ Victory Fund.
"We know that when young people, LGBTQ people and people of color turn out to the polls and stand against repressive and regressive policies and candidates, we gain victories like the ones we saw in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Vermont," said Kierra Johnson, the executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
The LGBTQ communitysaw wins in representation, with candidates who identify as queer running for office in all 50 states, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Tina Kotek of Oregon were elected as the first openly lesbian governors in U.S. history. Several states have seen their first openly transgender, gay, lesbian and nonbinary elected officials.
"Tonight, I want to say something to every little girl and every young LGBTQ person out there: I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever, whoever, you want to be," Healey said in her victory speech Tuesday.
