Nathaniel Teed took the victory in the Saskatoon-Meewasin by-election on Monday Sept. 26. This made Teed the first openly gay MLA in the history of Saskatchewan.
Teed told Global News he didn’t realize he was gay until age 19.
“I think I kind of realized when I was about 19 years old kind of going into university, that was kind of the first inkling and kind of close to when I came out,” said Teed.
According to Teed there is a large need for more representation in the education field, as well as in government. Teed is hoping he can get the ball rolling.
“There’s quite a need for queer representation in the education field and so I thought it was really important to continue to have representative voices in our legislature,” he said.
Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck agrees.
“Representation at the table, at the places where people are making decisions is so important and I think we took another step forward with this election today,” said Beck.
Despite his previous teaching experience, Teed isn’t only focused on education. He wants the people of Saskatchewan to know they’re represented.
“I think it’s a big step in ensuring that diverse voices are heard in our legislature, it also is I believe important that folks across Saskatchewan see themselves and see that there is a home in the NDP for them”.
A political science professor at the University of Saskatchewan says this could be accomplished with Teed elected.
“For the queer, trans, and two spirit community to see and know that someone who belongs to the community is now in a representative role, it goes a long way to people who feel like their voices are that much closer to being heard,” said Rachel Loewen Walker.
“We can make a difference by running for elected office and continue to ensure that our legislature is representative of the people that it serves,” Teed said.
Nathaniel Teed encourages other in the 2SLGBTQ+ community who want a career in politics to take the leap. He said there is room at the table and more voices are needed.
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