Kansas House candidate Katie Dixon late Sunday came out as bisexual, saying that she couldn’t ask voters to support someone they didn’t know.
Dixon, a Democrat who is running in House District 49, posted a 2 1/2-minute video on Facebook explaining her decision to discuss her sexual orientation publicly.
It was a historic announcement because it gives Kansas at least eight openly LGBTQ candidates running for the Kansas House or Senate.
It is believed to be the largest field of openly LGBTQ candidates to run for the Kansas statehouse.
“If I’m going to be an effective, authentic leader, I must be vulnerable with myself and others,” said Dixon, who made her announcement toward the end of Pride Month.
“I refuse to ask for you to support a person you do not know,” she said. “So, this is me. I’m a bisexual woman. It doesn’t define me. It is just part of who I’ve been, part of who I’ve always been.
“It feels awkward and relieving and anxious and normal to say out loud what I’ve been silent about my entire life,” she said.
“When I think about current events and look at those who are looking to me to lead, I realize I have to be my authentic self,” she said. “In order to be the leader I say I am, I cannot be silent.”
In an interview, Dixon said she only decided within the last month to share a more intimate story about her life even though she’s been a candidate for months..
“The more I talked about why I wanted to run and what impact I want to have, it just became clearer and clearer that it was necessary to be authentic,” she said.
Writing down the words she wanted to use in the video was far from easy, she said.
“It was kind of emotional deciding what I wanted to say in it,” she said. “It took a lot of introspection to say why am I am coming out, why I am I doing this and really thinking through why this is important.”
Dixon said she was inspired to share her story by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that found federal employment discrimination law protects LGBTQ workers.
She also was moved by the city of Olathe’s decision to pass a nondiscrimination ordinance providing protections for LGBTQ residents.
“I watched these examples of how governmental action protects and defines (how) we live and work,” she said.
“I also saw how in 2020, there are those that want to deny basic human rights to others because of their sexual orientation, because of their gender identity, because of who they are. And that is wrong.”
By Monday morning, the video had been seen 1,400 times with 14 shares and many comments supporting Dixon.
Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, said Dixon’s announcement is another significant step for LGBTQ candidates in Kansas.
“It’s clear our movement is ready not just to serve, but to lead,” Witt said in an email.
“Since 2017, we have seen several LGBT Kansans win elected office on city councils and commissions, local school boards, congress, and the state legislature,” he said.
“As acceptance in Kansas grows, so does our participation in state government. We could not be more pleased.”
Dixon is a financial adviser for Edward Jones and previously worked as a quality control specialist for Magellan Midstream Partners.
She has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Park University. She is in a long-term relationship with her partner, Brandon. She has a 13-year-old son.
Dixon has primary opposition from Darnell Hunt. If she wins the primary, she would face state Rep. Megan Lynn in the general election.
House District 49 is centered in Olathe. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly carried the district with 52% of the vote in 2018, but it went for President Donald Trump in 2016, former Gov. Sam Brownback in 2014 and Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.
