Thanks to a progressive district and a commanding win in June, attorney Marvin Lim is on his way to joining the largest group of LGBTQ lawmakers ever seen in the Georgia House.
But Lim, a 36-year-old first-time candidate, hasn’t had much time to savor the victory – or the historic moment. He’s been consumed with helping residents of his Gwinnett County district navigate the coronavirus pandemic and prepare for the November elections.
“I really haven’t had time to sit and think about what that will mean. I’m sure it will hit at some point as January comes closer,” Lim said. “But I’m very honored and looking forward to doing the work that will be necessary for me to do.”
Lim talked about the campaign, his personal experiences with voter suppression and intersectionality, and LGBTQ issues during a wide-ranging interview for a new episode of Podcast Q.
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Lim heads to the Georgia House in January after a commanding win in June when he grabbed 61 percent of the vote in a two-candidate Democratic primary. With no Republican opponent in November, he’ll become the new District 99 representative. The district is east of the Jimmy Carter Boulevard exit on Interstate 85 and includes unincorporated portions of Norcross.
Lim will likely join five other LGBTQ lawmakers already in the state House. State Reps. Park Cannon, Karla Drenner and Renitta Shannon don’t face opposition in November. Reps. Sam Park and Matthew Wilson face Republican opponents.
His background as an Asian immigrant – Lim was born in the Philippines and moved to Atlanta with his family when he was seven – and a progressive Catholic fits well with the diversity of the district, which has a population that is about 50 percent immigrant and 85 percent minority, he said. Large swaths of the district also struggle with poverty and a lack of health insurance.
“Not only were we immigrants but we were on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum and were on various forms of public assistance. So I get a little bit of insight into what that is like,” Lim said.
“It also shaped me to give back because yes, I went off to law school. I suppose I could have done a big law job and made money. But I always wanted to find ways to help others, particularly of that background,” he added.
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