A former deputy sheriff who was fired by her boss for her sexuality has successfully won an election for his old job. Charmaine McGuffey sued Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil earlier this year, claiming that he’d fired her because she was a lesbian. She then decided to run against him in the Democratic primary and was elected as the Sheriff of Hamilton, County Ohio, effectively taking Neil’s job. Nice one!
I am humbled and honored to have been elected by @HamiltonCntyOH voters as your next Sheriff. Thank you for your faith and confidence in me. This is the honor of a lifetime, to do my dream job & to serve the people of this community. pic.twitter.com/evBQRt3NE3
— Charmaine McGuffey (@CharmMcGuffey) November 6, 2020
- McGuffey shared the good news via her Twitter page. After hearing she’d won the election, McGuffey took to Twitter on Wednesday, November 6 to share the good news. “I am humbled and honored to have been elected by @HamiltonCntyOH voters as your next Sheriff,” she wrote. “Thank you for your faith and confidence in me. This is the honor of a lifetime, to do my dream job & to serve the people of this community.”
- She announced that she’d be running back in March. The community rallied around her pretty quickly, with fellow Democrats calling many of Neil’s policies into question, especially given his support of Donald Trump. “Quite frankly, my opponent has pretended to be a Democrat for many years now, when he’s actually much more aligned with the Tea Party Republicans,” McGuffey told Cincinnati.com at the time.
- She’s the first female gay Sheriff in Ohio. That makes McGuffey’s win doubly delicious, especially given that not only has she given Neil a big ol’ F-U, but she’s also breaking barriers for the LGBTQ+ community. How awesome is that?
- McGuffey sees understands the responsibility her new position brings. “[My election] would mean that our country is moving forward,” she said before her election, according to Metro. “That we really have moved away from the 1950s model of law enforcement, where not just women are embraced in the law enforcement world, but also LGBTQ members of the community can wear a uniform and be quite successful.” Congrats on the win!
In my career, I have seen justice & I have seen injustice. The time for justice reform is here and it’s now. I am running for Sheriff because effective reform is fiscally responsible & makes our communities safer. I will lead with transparency & humanity. Vote McGuffey March 17. pic.twitter.com/xCf54ucsYY
— Charmaine McGuffey (@CharmMcGuffey) January 24, 2020