BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The first-ever openly queer, non-binary person has been elected to Bowling Green City Council and they are only 21 years old.
"I'm a student, I'm queer and I'm non-binary, so, I give those different perspectives," said Damon Sherry, who will be sworn in to represent Ward 1 in January. "I'm also the first member of Gen Z on city council. I'm giving representation to something that hasn't been there."
Sherry, a Democrat, is a senior at Bowling Green State University majoring in political science. Ward 1 covers the northeast section of the city, including much of the BGSU campus.
"I think it's the simple reason that I cared. That's why most people run," they said. "There's that innate feeling that this is something you're meant to do, that leadership is something you're good at, and you can train yourself to be in leadership and that's what I did."
Sherry did that by becoming president of the BGSU chapter of College Democrats, vice president of the university's Queer Trans Student Union and a senator in the Undergraduate Student Government.
Now, they're beginning a professional career in politics in the same city in which they learned about it.
"When door knocking, I told people I may be a student, but I'm only a student until the spring," Sherry said. "I'm here for the long run. I'm here to represent everyone in this ward no matter background, generation, sex or sexual preference."
Sherry succeeds previous Ward 1 representative Nick Rubando.
In a statement to WTOL 11, Rubando wrote, "I am honored to have Damon succeed me on Council. Damon truly cares about our community, and I am confident they will help guide BG into a promising future."
Sherry said they are grateful to be elected to city council.
"I actually believe that I will be starting on equal footing," they said. "I'm so grateful that Bowling Green is such an accepting and inclusive community."
Sherry received 369 votes in the general election, while Republican candidate David Drain received 186.