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Gay Delegates Elected at SD Democratic Convention

Thursday, 17 July 2008 15:17

The South Dakota State Democratic Convention concluded in Chamberlain on June 28 with the election of two LGBT delegates to the national convention.  The Democratic Party also called for the adoption of anti-discrimination measures,

Martin Yeung of Rapid City and Liz Himmel-Roberts of Hartford were elected as delegates to the National Convention that will be held in Denver on August 25-28.

Yeung, a Spearfish native, attended college at Stanford and worked as an assistant in the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton Administration.  He then was on the staff of Congressman Joe Sestak from Pennsylvania.  Yeung returned to South Dakota in April 2007 to manage his parents' restaurants -- the Great Wall and Imperial in Rapid City.  Yeung is also deeply involved in local area Democratic politics and fundraising and is a member of Equality SD Political Action Committee.

Liz Himmel-Roberts, who was elected as an alternate delegate, will be attending the convention to serve on the rules committee as an appointee of the Clinton campaign.  Himmel-Roberts was also a delegate to the 2004 National Convention in New York City.

Democratic convention rules strongly urge that at least one of the state delegates to the national convention be a representative of the LGBT community.  (At this state convention there were five LGBT people in attendance)