LEXINGTON, KY – Kentucky may be home to Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, a staunch anti-gay rights supporter, but the state’s second biggest city just elected its first openly gay mayor.

Those that went to the polls in Lexington elected businessman Jim Gray with 53 percent of the vote. Gray owns a construction company and had previously served as Lexington’s vice mayor.

“I am here for my mother’s generation, I am here for my generation and for your generation, and we are here for the next generation,” Gray told his supports after the victory was announced.

While Gray played down his homosexuality during the campaign, it did become a hot button issue on talk radio in the days and weeks leading up to the election. Gray’s platform prefers to focus on job creation, but one of his initiatives is to embrace diversity throughout the city.

“We won’t make Lexington the kind of city that attracts the best and the brightest if diversity is just a word that’s trotted out when we’re celebrating a week or month to recognize Black history, Disabilities Awareness, Women’s Rights or Gay Pride,” Gray said. “It has to become part of our city’s culture. I’ll be a mayor who looks beyond superficial categories to see the talents, interests and unique experiences each individual brings to the table.”