Long Beach Elects Gay Mayor

Long Beach, California elected an openly gay mayor yesterday.

Long Beach City Councilman Robert Garcia made history Tuesday night when he narrowly defeated businessman Damon Dunn in the race for mayor to become the first Latino, the first openly gay and the youngest person to be mayor of Long Beach. "I think you run, not necessarily to be the first, I know that there are certainly historical implications of my election," Garcia said. "I’m in this to be mayor of everyone, no matter the age or the color of their skin or who they love." Garcia believes the city’s diversity is one of its assets. "We have one of the largest Cambodian communities outside of Cambodia, a large Latino community, a large LGBT population, and we have everyone. I really think that’s what makes Long Beach strong," Garcia said.

Long Beach is the seventh-largest city in California and hosts a massive gay pride event. (Tipped by JMG reader Scott)

RELATED: Unless I'm forgetting someone, three of the nation's 50 largest cities currently have openly gay mayors: Houston (4th), Seattle (21st), and Long Beach (36th). San Diego (8th) had an openly gay interim mayor earlier this year following the resignation of Bob Filner.