Jorge Báez Pagán

Báez Pagán is from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.{{Cite web |title=Juramentado el primer legislador abiertamente gay en Puerto Rico |url=https://www.metro.pr/pr/noticias/2020/09/24/juramentado-primer-legislador-abiertamente-gay-puerto-rico.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210103051601/https://www.metro.pr/pr/noticias/2020/09/24/juramentado-primer-legislador-abiertamente-gay-puerto-rico.html |archive-date=January 3, 2021 |access-date=January 5, 2021 |website=Metro Puerto Rico|date=24 September 2020 }} He is a special education and history teacher in the Abraham Lincoln School in San Juan.{{Cite news|last=Rosario|first=Frances|date=2020-08-18|title=Conoce al joven que será el sustituto de Charbonier en la papeleta del PNP|language=es|trans-title=Meet the Young Man who Will be Charbonier's Replacement on the PNP ballot|work=Primera Hora (Puerto Rico)|url=https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/conoce-al-joven-que-sera-el-sustituto-de-charbonier-en-la-papeleta-del-pnp/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819181639/https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/conoce-al-joven-que-sera-el-sustituto-de-charbonier-en-la-papeleta-del-pnp/|archive-date=2020-08-19}} He was a college election official in 2008, and between 2010 and 2014 he was president of the Statehood Youth of Guaynabo, his hometown, and regional director between 2014 and 2018. In 2016, as a New Progressive Party (PNP) candidate to be an At-Large member of the House of Representatives, he ran on a platform of securing payment to special education therapists.{{Cite news|date=2016-02-02|title=Catalogan de "inaceptable" millonaria deuda con terapistas de Educación Especial|language=es|trans-title=They Classify as "unacceptable" Millionaire Debt with Special Education Therapists|work=Foro Noticioso|url=https://www.foronoticioso.com/fn/catalogan-de-inaceptable-millonaria-deuda-con-terapistas-de-educacion-especial/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819182035/https://www.foronoticioso.com/fn/catalogan-de-inaceptable-millonaria-deuda-con-terapistas-de-educacion-especial/|archive-date=2020-08-19}} He lost the election, however, in 2017, he ran to be vice president of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association.{{Cite news|last=Haynes|first=Sarah|date=2017-09-15|title=Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association Struggling, As Elections Delayed For 3 Months|work=Pasquines|url=https://pasquines.us/2017/09/15/puerto-rico-statehood-students-association-struggling-elections-delayed-3-months/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819182415/https://pasquines.us/2017/09/15/puerto-rico-statehood-students-association-struggling-elections-delayed-3-months/|archive-date=2020-08-19}} Ahead of the 2020 Primaries in Puerto Rico, he announced his liberal platform, including, among other things,

{{Blockquote|text=give a $200 voucher to every teacher for purchase of school supplies; create the Recycling Program in all schools of the Department of Education; [give a] [h]elping hand to the small and medium-sized businesses; protect LGBTTIQ and disadvantaged people's rights; [p]romote entrepeneurship aimed at young people; [e]stablish IVU recollection by the municipalities to avoid tax evasion; free pet sterilization; [i]mproving [,] in terms of space[,] in our school to services related to: speech and language therapy, ocupational therapy, physical...and psychological therapy...and open a Specialized School in Sector Canta Gallo [in his home barrio of Santa Rosa, Guaynabo].|author=|title=|source=}}

He also stated he was in favor of term limits for members of the Legislative Assembly.{{Cite news|last=Marrero-Morales|first=Jennissa|date=2020-07-25|title=Estos son los aspirantes novoprogresistas a la Cámara por acumulación|language=es|trans-title=These Are the New Progressive Candidates by Accumulation for the House|work=El Vocero|url=https://www.elvocero.com/gobierno/estos-son-los-aspirantes-novoprogresistas-a-la-c-mara-por-acumulaci-n/article_109150c0-cd11-11ea-a1a7-2749f6fd0f3c.html|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727051828/https://www.elvocero.com/gobierno/estos-son-los-aspirantes-novoprogresistas-a-la-c-mara-por-acumulaci-n/article_109150c0-cd11-11ea-a1a7-2749f6fd0f3c.html|archive-date=2020-07-27}} On 16 August 2020, with 119,883 (or 10% of the ballots cast),{{Cite web|date=2020-08-16|title=Partido Nuevo Progresista Representantes por Acumulación Resultados Isla|trans-title=New Progressive Party at-large Representatives Results Island-wide|url=http://primarias2020.ceepur.org/PRIMARIAS_LOCALES_2020_PNP_58/Noche_del_Evento_88/index.html#es/pic_bar_list/REPRESENTANTES_POR_ACUMULACION_Resumen.xml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819191757/http://primarias2020.ceepur.org/PRIMARIAS_LOCALES_2020_PNP_58/Noche_del_Evento_88/index.html|archive-date=2020-08-19|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Puerto Rico State Commission on Elections|language=es}} he became the "first openly gay individual to be elected in a primary for Puerto Rico."{{Cite web|last=Valentín|first=Alberto J.|date=2020-08-16|title=Tweet from Alberto J. Valentín Congratulating Jorge Emmanuel Báez Pagán|url=https://twitter.com/ajvalentincama/status/1295100063983624193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1295100063983624193%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metro.pr%2Fpr%2Fnoticias%2F2020%2F08%2F16%2Fprimer-candidato-abiertamiente-gay-entre-quienes-dejaron-a-charbonier-fuera-de-la-papeleta.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819180001/https://pbs.twimg.com/hashflag/config-2020-08-19-18.json|archive-date=2020-08-19|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Twitter}} The primaries also had another five gay candidates, however, none were from the PNP.{{Cite news|date=2020-08-16|title=Primer candidato abiertamiente gay entre quienes dejaron a Charbonier fuera de la papeleta|language=es|trans-title=First Openly Gay Candidate Among those Who Left Charbonier Off the Ballot|work=Metro PR|url=https://www.metro.pr/pr/noticias/2020/08/16/primer-candidato-abiertamiente-gay-entre-quienes-dejaron-a-charbonier-fuera-de-la-papeleta.html|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819184650/https://www.metro.pr/pr/noticias/2020/08/16/primer-candidato-abiertamiente-gay-entre-quienes-dejaron-a-charbonier-fuera-de-la-papeleta.html|archive-date=2020-08-19}} Additionally, he was the only newcomer on the ballot, hence his campaigning as a "new alternative", since the other four were House incumbents. His sexual orientation was noticed by local media, as he had obtained enough votes to displace conservative, anti-LGBT representative María Milagros Charbonier, who had a record of equating homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality.{{Cite news|date=2013-04-10|title=Charbonier equipara orientación sexual con pedofilia y bestialismo|language=es|trans-title=Charbonier Equates Sexual Orientation With Pedophilia and Bestiality|work=NotiCel|url=https://www.noticel.com/ahora/20130410/charbonier-equipara-orientacion-sexual-con-pedofilia-y-bestialismo/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819185514/https://www.noticel.com/ahora/20130410/charbonier-equipara-orientacion-sexual-con-pedofilia-y-bestialismo/|archive-date=2020-08-19}} When she was arrested for allegations of fraud, but before she had resigned her to the House, Báez Pagán said that she now had the time to dedicate to justice and that in public service "one comes to serve others, not to serve themselves." He ran a self-funded campaign with an investment of $4,000.00{{Cite news|title=Jorge Emmanuel Báez Pagán triunfa ante "Tata" Charbonier|language=es|trans-title=Jorge Emmanuel Báez Pagán Triumphs Against “Tata” Charbonier|work=WAPA-TV|url=https://sites.wapa.tv/decision2020/jorge-emmanuel-baez-pagan-triunfa-ante-tata-charbonier/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819185934/https://sites.wapa.tv/decision2020/jorge-emmanuel-baez-pagan-triunfa-ante-tata-charbonier/|archive-date=2020-08-19}}

On September 24, 2020, Báez Pagán became the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives in the island's history. In the 2020 Puerto Rico House of Representatives election, he was displaced by María de Lourdes Ramos Rivera.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-05 |title=Lourdes Ramos desplaza a su compañero Jorge Emmanuel Báez de la Cámara |url=https://www.metro.pr/pr/noticias/2020/11/05/lourdes-ramos-desplaza-a-su-companero-jorge-emmanuel-baez-de-la-camara.html |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Metro Puerto Rico |language=es}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Báez Pagán, Jorge}}

Category:Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni

Category:21st-century Puerto Rican LGBTQ people

Category:Living people

Category:People from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Category:American gay politicians

Category:LGBTQ legislators in the United States

Category:21st-century Puerto Rican educators

Category:21st-century American educators

Category:New Progressive Party members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico