Julie Johnson Opens Up About Making LGBTQ+ History in Texas House Race: 'I'm Going to Be a Force' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Julie Johnson, who was just elected to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District.Photo:juliejohnson.com

juliejohnson.com

Julie Johnson has made history, becoming the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to be elected to Congress from the U.S. South. Now, she’s eager to use her voice to serve the greater good.

The former trial attorney claimed victory in Texas' 32nd Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 5, after defeating Republican candidate Darrell Day and Libertarian candidate Kevin Hale.

Johnson, 58, tells PEOPLE “it’s humbling to win” a seat in Congress, especially in a state as historically conservative as Texas.

“What Texans want are people who are smart and thoughtful, who work hard, are compassionate, can clearly articulate the issues and be a good representative of the people,” she says.

Julie Johnson on the campaign trail before she was elected to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District in November 2024.juliejohnson.com

In just six years, Johnson has already overcome major political obstacles. She is the first Democrat to represent District 115 in the Texas House of Representatives in 40 years, having earned a 13-point victory over then-incumbent Matt Rinaldi in 2018.

“It was a statement,” Johnson says. She recalled telling herself, “Don’t hold yourself back. Don’t make assumptions that you can or can’t do something. Don’t be your own barrier to achieving your dreams. Push forward, work hard, and you never know, you just might win.”

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Since then, Johnson and her colleagues have passed legislation they’re proud of while also defending the rights of their constituents. In this past legislative session, Johnson and her Democratic colleagues were able to kill 141 of the 144 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed in the legislature, she tells PEOPLE. In the session prior, 76 of 77 anti-LGBTQ+ bills saw the same fate.

Johnson even helped start the first ever LGBTQ+ caucus in the Texas House of Representatives, a moment she said was transformative in the state’s politics. She was also able to pass a bill regulating prior authorizations for medications that treat autoimmune diseases such as HIV.

Julie Johnson has been representing Texas' House District 115 since 2019.juliejohnson.com

Now, Johnson is “thrilled” to take her talents to Congress. She believes it is “critically important” to have LGBTQ+ representation on Capitol Hill, especially from a traditionally conservative area.

“Everybody needs to be represented and have their voice and their perspective in the conversation of our governmental discourse,” Johnson says. “We all have to have a seat at the table.”

Johnson hopes her election to Congress will allow others to “see themselves in government,” something she believes is vital to participation in the political process. She already got a taste of that in Texas.

Shortly after she was first elected to the state legislature, Johnson says she shared a special moment with a woman in her mid-80s. After a long hug, Johnson said the woman tearfully looked at her and said, “I never ever thought that I would be represented in my government, ever.”

This time, Johnson gets to represent the LGBTQ+ community on the national stage, where inflammatory rhetoric about the community is on the rise. It’s a fight she grew familiar with while representing District 115.

As a congresswoman, Johnson hopes to be a voice for the LGBTQ+ community and hold those accountable who seek to degrade, harm or discriminate against members of the LGBTQ+ community “for their own political gain.”

Julie Johnson, who came out at age 25 in the 1990s, will be the first member of the LGBTQ+ community from the U.S. South to serve as a congressperson.juliejohnson.com

Johnson says she is “sick” of seeing the LGBTQ+ community “being a political punching bag,” and aspires to “be a leader” in the passage of the Equality Act, which is one of her top priorities as a representative.

“I’m not going to tolerate [bigotry] and not going to have it,” she tells PEOPLE. “I will call it out.”

“The right to vote is fundamental and paramount,” the congresswoman-to-be says. “Republicans in Texas are trying to take away our rights to vote here, and it’s unacceptable.”

Julie Johnson, who was just elected to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, is eager to bring change along with her to Congress.juliejohnson.com

Johnson wants to ensure Democrats “actually fulfill the legacy that they promised voters” rather than allowing promises to go empty. “I’m going to be a force to make sure that those votes actually happen,” she says.

With her newfound power, Johnson intends to create the change and equality she seeks.

“We all deserve an opportunity to succeed, we all deserve an opportunity to be happy, we all deserve an opportunity to be loved,” Johnson says, “and I will fight with every bone in my body to make sure that those ideals are realized.”

source: people.com