Howard Bayless made history in Alabama yesterday. The politico became the openly gay man elected to a public office and will now sit on the Birmingham Board of Education.

Celebrating his victory, Bayless made sure to thank The Victory Fund, a gay non-profit dedicated to helping queer candidates:

This election was about the future of this community, and the Victory Fund understands that in order to change hearts and minds we all have to roll up our sleeves and work hard for our all our neighbors, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm grateful for everything the Victory Fund has done to help us move our state forward.

Bayless' win comes one year after that of Patricia Todd, the state's first openly gay Representative. Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe also celebrated the news, "Howard Bayless is a hero to gay people in Alabama, but his election proves that all kinds of voters respond to real leadership."