Maine State Rep. Ryan Fecteau, 28, made history yesterday, Dec. 2. As he entered his fourth term in the legislation, Fecteau was officially elected and sworn in as Maine’s youngest and first openly gay Speaker of the House. He’d received an unanimous nomination by the incoming Democratic House majority caucus last week.
When first elected to the Maine legislature in 2014, Fecteau was the youngest openly gay state rep ever elected in the US. He now becomes the youngest state speaker of the house in the country.
He was instrumental in the states ban on conversion therapy, his efforts having initially been blocked by then Gov. Paul LePage before LePage, who consistently stood against LGBTQ rights, left office. But Fecteau persevered. He has also championed affordable housing, health care and equal rights issues in his first six years in office.
“I am grateful for the support of the Maine House and I step into the role of Speaker with both confidence and humility,” Fecteau said in a statement.
“We have a tremendous responsibility to both the state of Maine and to each other. I pledge to do all I can to ensure Maine businesses thrive, to expand access to health care, to provide students the best education and to support working families. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we will have to come together and work harder than ever for Maine people. Whether as Speaker of the House or in my role as a state representative for my hometown, I will do just that.”
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