The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund announced it has endorsed 100 openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender political candidates in 2008, making this endorsement slate the group’s largest ever.

GLBT candidates are running for offices at all levels of government, from school boards to the U.S. Congress, according to the group.

Chuck Wolfe, the Victory Fund’s president and CEO for the past six years, said the surge in openly GLBT candidates in 2008 reflects the community’s growing willingness to embrace political leadership as a path to change.

"I think reaching this milestone is a testament to a new attitude in our community about how to achieve political change," Wolfe said. "We don’t have to accept sitting on the sidelines and hoping others will do the heavy lifting. We can roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves."

The Victory Fund expects to continue endorsing candidates into November, according to Laura Esquivel, senior vice president for political affairs.

"This is a really exciting political season for the GLBT community," Esquivel said. "We’re extremely proud of the out candidates who are stepping up to run for office all across America, and of the role that the Victory Fund plays in preparing and supporting these candidates."

Esquivel said that up until election time the Victory Fund will endorse in even more races, putting them well past 100 candidates for the year.

Nashville Metro Council member Keith Durbin is Tennessee's only elected out official. The Victory Fund has not endorsed any candidates for office in Tennessee for this year's election.

The Victory Fund is the nation’s largest GLBT political action committee, and the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of out elected officials at all levels of government. Since its founding in 1991, the number of openly GLBT elected officials in the U.S. has grown from less than 50 to more than 420. For more information, visit www.victoryfund.org.