Ryan Fecteau

Ryan Michael Fecteau
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
from the 11th district
Assumed office
December 3, 2014
Preceded by Paulette Beaudoin
Personal details
Born (1992-09-18) September 18, 1992
Biddeford, Maine, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Alma mater The Catholic University of America
Website Government website

Ryan Michael Fecteau is a Democratic member of the Maine House of Representatives. He represents District 11 which comprises a portion of the city of Biddeford in Southern Maine. Fecteau is the second youngest member of the legislature and the youngest openly gay state representative in the United States.[1] Speaker Sara Gideon (D-Freeport) appointed Fecteau as House Chairman of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research, and Economic Development in 2016.[2]

Personal

Ryan Fectau was born in Biddeford, Maine to Shara LaBrecque (remarried), a senior caregiver, and Marc Fecteau, a small business owner in the building industry. The Fecteau family moved to Biddeford in 1964 from Packington, Quebec. Fecteau's father was very young at the time of the move and remains a Canadian citizen to this day. His family made the move in order to earn a living in the Biddeford Textile Mills which comprised the economic engine of the Biddeford-Saco area at the time.[3] Fecteau's grandparents, father, aunt, and mother all worked in the textile mills at various points in time. Currently, Fecteau serves on the Board of Directors for the Biddeford Mills Museum.[4] Fecteau is the oldest of two children in his family. He attended school in Saco, Maine until his family moved to Biddeford, Maine in 2005. He subsequently graduated from Biddeford High School in 2010 and The Catholic University of America in 2014.

Education

During his time at The Catholic University of America, Fecteau became the first openly gay Speaker of the Student Association.[5] He joined a coalition of students, religious leaders, and professional staff in advocating for the official recognition of CUAllies, a student organization aimed at providing a safe and supportive network for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer students and their allies. His efforts failed when President John Garvey denied the request for official recognition.[6] However, Fecteau's efforts did lead to a "Community Pledge" which marked the first time an official Catholic University document used "sexual orientation" since administrators removed such language from its non-discrimination clause in 2006.[7]

Awards

Fecteau received the 2015 Youth Innovator of the Year award from The Trevor Project, a group focused on suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and queer youth, at their annual TrevorLIVE event at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on June 15, 2015.[8] In his speech at the event, Fecteau cited his coming out experience as having been supported by The Trevor Project's social networking website "TrevorSpace" which is a safe, moderated forum for young LGBT and questioning persons.[9][10]

Election history

State House election in Maine, 2014
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Ryan Fecteau 2,475 64.2%
Republican Debi Davis 1,209 31.4%
State House election in Maine, 2016
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Ryan Fecteau 3,185 67.9%
Republican Renee Morin 1,507 32.1%

References

  1. ↑ "Maine Could Make History With Gay Governor, Youngest Out Legislator". Advocate.com. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "Biddeford official named chairman of the House of Representatives". Courier.mainelymediallc.com. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
  4. ↑ "Biddeford Mills Museum". Biddefordmillsmuseum.org. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Catholic University declines to recognize LGBT student group". Washingtonblade.com. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "CUAllies Rejected - Metro Weekly". Metroweekly.com. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "University Signs Community Pledge". Publicaffairs.cua.edu. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "TrevorLIVE". Trevorlive.org. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  9. ↑ Ryan Fecteau (17 June 2015). "Rep. Fecteau accepts Youth Innovator of the Year Award at TrevorLIVE". YouTube. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "INTERVIEW - Ryan Fecteau, Democratic member of the Maine House of..." Gettyimages.com. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
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