New York City has a new mayor. His name is Bill de Blasio.

Bill is white.

The rest of Bill’s family – his wife Chirlane, his son Dante, and his daughter Chiara – is not (or in the case of Bill’s children, not completely).

The de Blasios are black and white, and their picture represents a growing trend. The 2010 Census showed that interracial marriages now account for 1 in 10 of marriages in the U.S.

Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray met in 1991 while working for former mayor David Dinkin. Their relationship has always attracted controversy. Besides being interracial, McCray, a poet, had identified herself as a lesbian in a 1979 Essence article. The couple has been married for 19 years. McCray stands by her words.

 “At the time, it was an important statement to make because black women, especially at that time, we were like invisible in the gay movement…I think that there’s a spectrum, that people can fall anywhere along the spectrum of human sexuality”

It may only be in New York City’s that you would find a first family that represents diversity in race and sexual preference too.

“The family symbolizes everything we are, everything we believe in. By showing it to the world, it’s sort of, one, what you see is what you get, and, two, yeah, I think there are some positive messages.” 

Just like their dynamic home city, the de Blasio children embrace self expression. Chiara has gauges in her ears and piercings on her face. Dante has an afro. As the Washington Post pointed out, the family says it all with their hair.

Some even think Dante’s ‘fro might have won de Blasio the election. After he starred in a campaign video, Dante’s dad picked up some steam.

Politics aside, families like the de Blasios are expected to become more and more commonplace. Will the rest of America be as accepting as New York?