DeShanna Neal is an American politician. They are a Democratic member of the

Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...

, representing District 13. They are also the founder of the Intersections of Pride Foundation in Delaware.

Early life and career

Their father was a

Vietnam Vet A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and ot ...

while their mother was an office worker for over 30 years. Neal graduated from Concord High School in 2000, later getting a bachelors from the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree level ...

and a master's degree from

Wilmington University Wilmington University (WilmU) is a private university with its main campus in Wilmington Manor, Delaware, with a New Castle street address. - It was founded in 1968 as Wilmington College by educator Dr. Donald E. Ross. As of 2016, the unive ...

in 2021.

Political career

Neal was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

with 60.69% of the vote against Republican opponent, Carlucci Coehlo. They were later sworn in on November 7 of that year. They also ran a progressive campaign that focused on

Mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

, the

Environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

, and

legalization of Cannabis The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...

Personal life

Neal uses they/them pronouns and is a mother of 4 children, including two transgender daughters, Trinity and Hyperion, who is the subject of their book "My Rainbow". They are the co-organizer and creator of New Castle County's first ever LGBTQ Youth Pride Festival, as well as, Delaware's first Drag Queen Story Hour. They founded a non-profit organization on February 20, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neal, DeShanna 1981 births Democratic Party members of the Delaware House of Representatives Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware 21st-century American legislators Living people Members of the Democratic Socialists of America Concord High School (Delaware) alumni