Texas City Council that targeted LGBTQ+ people gets voted out – and replaced with first gay member

Voters in Odessa, Texas rejected three incumbent city council members just one month after they voted to implement a harsh anti-trans bathroom ban, replacing one with the city's first out gay council member.

Craig Stoker, the executive director for Meals on Wheels in Odessa, won his November election for At-Large City Council Member with 56 percent of the vote — in the same county president-elect Donald Trump won 76 percent of the vote.

Stoker beat Denise Swanner by campaigning on infrastructure — specifically roads and garbage pick up — in contrast to the incumbent, whose campaign sent out mailers comparing the two's opposite positions by listing their only similarity as the fact that they are both in relationships with men.

"I understood the outcome was too important. If I could pull this off, what I would have the ability to do completely outweighed whatever they were slinging at me,” Stoker told the Texas Tribune. “And the ability to represent people who have probably never had a voice in the City Council chamber became too important to me."

The Odessa city council banned transgender individuals from using bathrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, showers, and other similar public facilities that align with their gender identity after a contentious open meeting in October. Those who violate the ban could be convicted of a class C misdemeanor and receive a fine of up to $500, also giving legal standing to alleged victims to sue for damages up to $10,000 in civil court.

Mayor Javier Joven strongly supported the ban, stating that it was "important to prioritize the safety and privacy of the majority." He lost he re-election bid to Cal Hendrick, who campaigned on repairing infrastructure.

The Ector County Republican Party did not endorse any local candidates in this year's elections, with chair Donna Kelm reasoning that abortion and LGBTQ+ issues should be left to the state legislature.

“None of it was truly about me. It was their fear of losing a seat, losing an election, losing the title," Stoker continued. "I came into this campaign with the mindset that I'm going to have to rely on the work I've done in the community and the reputation I've built preceding me. That's all I got.”