List of first openly LGBTQ politicians in the United States

This is a list of the first openly LGBTQ people to have held political office in the United States. No openly LGBT person has served as president or vice president of the United States or as a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. However, all 50 states have elected openly LGBT people to political office in some capacity, and 48 states have elected openly LGBT people to either or both chambers of the state legislature.

A total of eight states and one territory have elected a total of twelve openly LGBT people to statewide or territorywide elected offices: Jared Polis (Governor of Colorado), Maura Healey (Governor of Massachusetts and former attorney general of Massachusetts), Tina Kotek (Governor of Oregon), Kate Brown (former Governor of Oregon and former secretary of state of Oregon), Tammy Baldwin (United States senator from Wisconsin), Kyrsten Sinema (United States senator from Arizona), Dana Nessel (Attorney General of Michigan), Kris Mayes (Attorney General of Arizona), Ricardo Lara (Insurance Commissioner of California), Kevin Lembo (Comptroller of Connecticut), Josh Tenorio (Lieutenant Governor of Guam), and Benjamin Cruz (Public Auditor of Guam).

A total of three of the ten most populous cities in the United States have elected a total of three openly LGBT people as mayor: Lori Lightfoot (former mayor of Chicago), Todd Gloria (mayor of San Diego), and Annise Parker (former mayor of Houston).

Federal

edit

Congress

edit
  • U.S. representative (first out congressperson and Democrat): Gerry Studds[1] (MA-12, MA-10) – served 1973–1997, outed 1983
  • U.S. representative (first to voluntarily come out): Barney Frank[2] (MA-4) – served 1980–2013, came out in 1987
  • U.S. representative (first out Republican): Steve Gunderson (WI-3) – served 1981–1997, outed 1994
  • U.S. representative (first Republican to voluntarily come out): Jim Kolbe (AZ-5) – served 1985–2007, came out 1996
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected, female): Tammy Baldwin (WI-2) – served 1999–2013
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected, male): Jared Polis (CO-2) – served 2009–2019
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected), first openly bisexual member of Congress: Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-9) – elected 2012[3]
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected), first to succeed another openly gay officeholder in office: Mark Pocan (WI-2) – elected 2012, succeeded Tammy Baldwin
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected), first non-white and first Asian openly gay member of Congress: Mark Takano (CA-41) – elected 2012
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected), first Native American openly gay member of Congress: Sharice Davids (KS-3) – elected 2018
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected), first Black openly gay members of Congress: Mondaire Jones (NY-17) and Ritchie Torres (NY-15) – elected 2020
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected), first Latino openly gay member of Congress: Ritchie Torres (NY-15) – elected 2020
  • U.S. representative (out when first elected), first transgender member of congress: Sarah McBride (Delaware-at-large) - elected 2024
  • U.S. Congressional committee chair: Gerry Studds – chair of House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries 1992–1995
  • U.S. senator (out when first elected, first openly LGBT U.S. senator): Tammy Baldwin – elected 2012, lesbian, representing Wisconsin[4]
  • U.S. senator (out when first elected), first openly bisexual member of the U.S. Senate – Kyrsten Sinema – elected 2018, representing Arizona

By state delegation

edit

Executive

edit

In 2013 Demetrios Marantis became the first openly LGBT person to serve in a cabinet-level position in the Cabinet of the United States, serving in the cabinet of president Barack Obama as U.S. trade representative in an acting capacity following the departure of U.S. trade representative Ron Kirk. Pete Buttigieg was nominated by Joe Biden for the position of secretary of Transportation and became the first openly LGBT Senate-confirmed Cabinet member following his confirmation on February 2, 2021.[5][6]

State

edit

Overall firsts

edit

State officers by state

edit

Constitutional officers

edit

Legislative officials

edit
  • California:
    • Senate President pro Tempore: Sen. Toni Atkins (D) – elected 2018
    • House speaker: Rep. John Pérez (D) – elected 2010
  • Colorado:
  • Hawaii:
    • House majority leader: Rep. Blake Oshiro (D) – elected 2008, came out 2010
  • Maine:
  • Massachusetts:
    • Senate minority leader: Sen. Richard Tisei (R) – elected 2007, came out 2010
    • Senate majority leader: Sen. Stan Rosenberg (D) – elected 2013, came out 2009
  • Minnesota:
  • Missouri:
  • Oregon:
    • Senate minority leader: Sen. Kate Brown (D) (1998)
    • Senate majority leader: Sen. Kate Brown (D) (2003)
    • House speaker: Rep. Tina Kotek (D) – America's first openly lesbian House speaker (elected as Oregon's House speaker in 2012)[27]
  • Rhode Island:
  • Vermont:
  • Washington:
    • Senate minority leader: Sen. Ed Murray (D) (2012)
  • Wyoming:

State legislators

edit

As of the 2020 elections, the legislatures of 49 states have had at least one openly LGBT member; the first out person to serve in each of those states is listed here. The sole remaining state that has never had an openly LGBT state legislator is Louisiana.

Territorial legislators

edit

Local

edit

Nationwide firsts

edit

By state

edit
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • California
    • Ron Galperin was the first openly gay citywide elected official in Los Angeles when he was elected City Controller in 2013. Galperin was re-elected to a second term in 2017.[85]
    • Vivian Romero was the first openly gay citywide elected official in Montebello when she was elected City Councilmember in 2013. She was also the first openly gay female Mayor in 2018.
    • Robert F. Gentry was elected mayor of Laguna Beach, in 1982, becoming the first openly gay mayor in California and the first openly gay elected official in southern California.[86]
    • John Laird was elected mayor of Santa Cruz in 1983.[87]
    • Danny Wan was appointed member of the Oakland City Council in 1999, and elected in the post in 2002, becoming the city's first openly gay politician.[88]
    • Ron Oden was elected mayor of Palm Springs in 2003; he became the first openly gay black man elected mayor of an American city and was the first openly gay mayor of Palm Springs.[89]
    • Mike Gin was elected mayor of Redondo Beach in 2005, becoming the first openly gay Asian-American mayor elected in the US and the first Republican gay mayor elected in California.
    • Todd Gloria was elected mayor of San Diego in 2020, becoming the first gay and first person of color to serve as mayor of the 8th largest city in America as well as the first Native American and Filipino-American to serve as mayor of a city of more than one million people.
    • Christopher Cabaldon was elected mayor of West Sacramento in 1998 and came out in 2006, making him the first openly gay Filipino elected as mayor in the US. As of 2016, he is the longest-serving LGBT mayor.
    • Evan Low was elected mayor of Campbell in 2009, at the age 26, making him the youngest gay mayor (and the youngest Asian-American mayor) nationwide at the time. Low was reelected in 2013.[90]
    • Joe Mosca took office as mayor of Sierra Madre in 2010, becoming the first openly gay mayor in the San Gabriel Valley.[91] By 2010, there were four openly gay mayors in Los Angeles County: Mosca, John Heilman of West Hollywood, Mitch Ward of Manhattan Beach, and Mike Gin of Redondo Beach.[91]
    • Bao Nguyen was elected mayor of Garden Grove, in 2014, at the age 34, making him the first gay mayor and first Vietnamese mayor of Garden Grove, as well as the youngest mayor in Orange County. He also became the first Vietnamese Democratic mayor in the United States.
    • Gerrie Schipske, was elected to Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees, 1992–1996, served as president, and was elected to Long Beach City Council, 2006–2014, in each case becoming the first openly lesbian elected official.[92]
    • Gary Miller was elected to the Robla Elementary School District Board in 1987 and became the first openly Gay local elected official in Sacramento and Sacramento County. Miller won re-election many times and served on the board from 1987 to 2006.[93] Mr Miller was also the first openly Gay local elected official in Placer County where he won a seat on the Roseville City School Board in 2008, won re-election in multiple races, and served until 2020.[94]
    • Shannon Moon was elected as Sheriff-Coroner of Nevada County California in 2018[95] She claimed the title as the first openly gay sheriff in California history. She is currently serving as of 2024.
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
    • The first openly gay elected official was John Brady as Sussex County Register in Chancery(chief clerk of court) in 2000. Brady also served as The Sussex County Recorder of Deeds and Sussex County Clerk of the Peace (Marriage Bureau Chief Official) before retiring after 14 years of Service
    • The first openly gay mayor in Delaware was John Buchheit of Delaware City (elected 2011).[100]
  • Florida
  • Georgia
    • Cathy Woolard was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1997, becoming the first openly LGBT elected official in the state of Georgia. She went on to become council president.[17]
    • Ben Ku was elected to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners in 2018, becoming the first openly LGBT official to be elected to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.[113]
    • Stephen Wimberly was elected to the Fulton County Democratic Committee in 1990, becoming one of the first openly LGBT elected committee members. Stephen ran the campaign as an openly LGBT man, running unopposed. Stephen was a board member with "LEGAL" Legislate Equality for Gays And Lesbians, a group dedicated to change politics from within. [114] [115]
  • Hawaii
    • Tim Riley was elected to the Waianae neighborhood board in February 2019.[116]
  • Illinois
    • Lori Lightfoot, was elected Mayor of Chicago in April 2019, making her the first openly gay mayor of Chicago and making Chicago the largest US city ever to elect an openly gay mayor.[117]
  • Indiana
    • Pete Buttigieg, first major political party candidate for president; before that mayor of South Bend – publicly announced that he was gay in 2015,[118] while in his first term in office; first openly LGBT executive official in Indiana.[119]
    • Veronica Pejril – Indiana's first transgender elected official, Greencastle city council, elected 2019.[120]
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
    • Longest-serving LGBTQ elected official: Henry Schwaller, elected 1999 – city commissioner, Hays, Kansas[122]
    • Mayor: C.C. Smith (female), elected 2017 – Linn Valley, Kansas[122]
    • Kansas has six openly-LGBT city councillors/commissioners, including in two of the state's ten biggest cities: Shawnee and Manhattan.[122]
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis
      • Andrea Jenkins elected in 2017, first openly transgender black woman elected to public office in the United States[123]
      • Phillipe Cunningham elected in 2017, first openly transgender black man elected to a city council in the United States[124]
      • Richard Carlbom- First openly gay mayor of a city in Minnesota. He served as the mayor of St. Joseph from 2005 to 2007.[125]
      • Mary Moriarty elected 2023, first LGBT Hennepin County Attorney[126]
  • Mississippi
    • Pike County
      • Board of Supervisors: Justin Lofton,elected in 2023,first out LGBTQ county supervisor in the state of Mississippi[127]
    • Southaven
  • New Hampshire
    • Nashua
      • Board of Education: Tim Nickerson, elected 1997, First openly gay person elected at any level in NH. Others previously elected came out after his election[128]
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
    • Daniel L. Stewart – First openly gay elected mayor in New York State history:1999-Plattsburgh, NY. 3-terms
    • First openly gay council member of city council Plattsburgh, NY 3-terms
    • First executive branch appointed chairman of a state correctional regulatory over-site agency, NYSCOC. Served 4 Governors, (R) and (D)
  • North Carolina
    • Wake County (NC capital county, incl. Raleigh)
    • Carrboro
    • Chapel Hill
      • Town councilman Joe Herzenberg, elected 1987 (first openly gay elected official in the South) [130]
      • Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, elected 2009
    • Raleigh
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
    • Erie
      • Tyler Titus, a transgender man, became the first openly transgender person elected to public office in Pennsylvania when he was elected to the Erie School Board in 2017.[131]
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
    • Laurens
      • Mayor (Any City): Nathan Senn, first openly gay mayor; elected 2019, assumed office March 2019, re-elected 2023
  • Texas
    • San Antonio
      • Councilman (District 2): Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, elected June 5, 2021, assumed office June 15, 2021[132]
    • Houston
      • Mayor (Major City): Annise Parker, elected 2009, assumed office January 2010
    • Kemp
      • Mayor (Any City): Matthew Ganssle, elected 2009, assumed office May 2009[133]
    • New Hope
      • Mayor: Jess Herbst, appointed 2016, came out as transgender 2017
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin

Judicial

edit

The first openly gay judge in the United States was Stephen M. Lachs, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1979.[140] Before leaving office in 1981, Brown appointed three more gay and lesbian judges to the California courts, including the nation's first openly lesbian judge, Mary Morgan, who served on the San Francisco municipal court.[140]

In 1994, Thomas R. Chiola became the first openly gay judge in Illinois (and the first openly gay elected official in Illinois) when voters elected him to the Circuit Court of Cook County.[141][142]

Deborah Batts was the nation's first openly LGBT federal judge. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote in 1994.[143] (Judge Vaughn Walker of the Northern District of California served from 1989 to February 2011 but did not come out until April 2011, after his retirement.)[144]

Batts was the sole openly LGBT judge on the federal bench for seventeen years, until Barack Obama appointed a series of gay and lesbian judges to the district courts: J. Paul Oetken (Southern District of New York, 2011); Alison J. Nathan (Southern District of New York, 2011); Michael W. Fitzgerald (Central District of California, 2012); Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro (Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2013); Pamela K. Chen (Eastern District of New York, 2013); Michael J. McShane (District of Oregon, 2013); Darrin P. Gayles (Southern District of Florida, 2014); Staci Michelle Yandle (Southern District of Illinois, 2014), and Judith Ellen Levy (Eastern District of Michigan, 2014).[144][145]

Obama also appointed the first openly LGBT judge of a federal court of appeals, Todd M. Hughes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[144][146]

The first openly LGBT justice of a state supreme court was Rives Kistler, appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court in 2003, and retained by voters the following year.[147] The next gay or lesbian state supreme court justices were Virginia Linder (Oregon Supreme Court, 2006); Monica Márquez (Colorado Supreme Court, 2010); Barbara Lenk (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2011); Sabrina McKenna (Supreme Court of Hawaii, 2011); Beth Robinson (Vermont Supreme Court, 2011).[147] In 2017, Paul Feinman became the first openly gay judge to sit on the New York Court of Appeals.

Benjamin Cruz of Guam was the first openly gay judge of a territorial supreme court; he came out in 1995 and was appointed to the Supreme Court of Guam in 1997.[148] Cruz served as associate justice from 1997 to 1999 and as chief justice from 1999 until his retirement in 2001.[149]

The first openly bisexual judge in the United States is Mike Jacobs, a state court judge in DeKalb County, Georgia, who came out publicly in 2018.[150]

  • State judge of compensation claims: Rand Hoch, Flagler, Seminole and Volusia counties, Florida – appointed 1992[151]
  • Transgender judge: Victoria Kolakowski, Superior Court of Alameda County, California – elected 2010
  • Superior Court judge Victor Carlson, 3rd Judicial District State of Alaska at Anchorage – appointed 1975 served until 1985 when he lost a retention election that was held in the shadow of his coming out.[152]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Housecleaning, Time, July 25, 1983
  2. ^ "Representative Frank Discloses He Is Homosexual". The New York Times. May 31, 1987. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  3. ^ Manuel Roig-Franzia, Kyrsten Sinema: A success story like nobody else's Archived September 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post (January 2, 2013).
  4. ^ a b c d e f Dison, Denis (November 7, 2012). "Victory Fund celebrates huge night for gay candidates". Gay Politics. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Duncan, Ian (January 26, 2021). "Senate committee approves Pete Buttigieg's nomination as transportation secretary". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "Senate confirms Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary". Axios. February 2, 2021. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Ross, Michael (May 25, 1993). "Gay Activist OKd for Fair Housing Post : Government: Roberta Achtenberg of San Francisco is the first openly declared lesbian to serve in high federal office. Senate approval on 58–31 vote follows impassioned debate on gay rights". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "USCCR: About Us > Commissioners > Roberta Achtenberg". www.usccr.gov. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  9. ^ Rein, Lisa (September 18, 2012). "John Berry, head of OPM and openly gay, helps Obama reach out to gay community". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  10. ^ Sharon Lubinski: Senate Confirms First Openly Gay US Marshal Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (December 28, 2009). Associated Press.
  11. ^ Carter, Mike (September 3, 2014). "U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan to step down". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  12. ^ Johnson, Chris (May 24, 2013). "Lesbian EEOC commissioner re-nominated for 2nd term". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  13. ^ Tan, Michelle (September 18, 2015). "President nominates first openly gay Army secretary". Army Times. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  14. ^ "30 Years after the White House Meeting: Participants then and now". National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  15. ^ Factora, James (November 8, 2022). "James Roesener Is the First Out Trans Man Elected to a U.S. State Legislature". Them. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Yurcaba, Jo (November 9, 2022). "New Hampshire's James Roesener is first trans man elected to a state legislature". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c "Harry Britt". January 1, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Handbook of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Administration and Policy (Marcel Dekker: 2004), ed. Wallace Swan, p. 100.
  19. ^ Ken Picard, Continuing Ed: Three and a half years after his near-fatal car crash is Sen. Ed Flanagan still up to the job?, Seven Days (May 20, 2009).
  20. ^ Curry, Tom (August 13, 2004). "McGreevey confession doesn't reveal all". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  21. ^ 10 Years After Resigning, Jim McGreevey Doesn't View Himself As A Gay Trailblazer Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, CBS News/Associated Press (August 12, 2014).
  22. ^ Wong, Curtis M. (September 16, 2021). "Colorado Gov. Jared Polis Makes History By Marrying Marlon Reis". HuffPost. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  23. ^ Jared Polis to be first openly gay governor – CNN Video, November 7, 2018, archived from the original on November 7, 2018, retrieved November 7, 2018
  24. ^ Michelle Garcia, Kate Brown, First Openly LGBT Governor, Assumes Office With Pointed Inauguration Speech, The Advocate (February 18, 2015).
  25. ^ Alison Gash, Oregon Leads the Way With Nation's First Openly Bisexual Governor, Slate (March 4, 2015).
  26. ^ "Maura Healey will be the nation's first openly gay AG". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  27. ^ "Lesbian to be House speaker". The Bulletin. Bend, Ore. November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  28. ^ Kent Faulk, Alabama's first openly gay lawmaker threatens to 'out' officials having extramarital affairs, The Huntsville Times (January 26, 2013).
  29. ^ Lang, Nico (July 19, 2018). "Neil Rafferty Makes History As First Gay Man Elected to Alabama Legislature". www.intomore.com. INTO.
  30. ^ Arizona son, mother aim to be statehouse colleagues Archived July 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press (August 27, 2012).
  31. ^ Gay rights group backs domestic partner legislation Archived February 2, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
  32. ^ Associated Press, Little Rock Approves Anti-Discrimination Protections (April 21, 2015).
  33. ^ Michael Finnegan, Sheila Kuehl seeks a legislative encore with L.A. supervisor bid Archived July 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times (April 29, 2014).
  34. ^ Lillian Faderman & Stuart Timmons, Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians (Basic Books, 2006), p. 336.
  35. ^ a b Jim Newton, As Assembly speaker, he helped tame the budget. What's next for John Pérez?, Los Angeles Times (May 25, 2014).
  36. ^ a b Thomas J. Noel, Colorado: A Historical Atlas (University of Oklahoma Press, 2015), p. 222.
  37. ^ Dan Froschnov, Colorado Democrats Elect State's First Gay Speaker, The New York Times (November 8, 2012).
  38. ^ Lynn Bartels, Lucia Guzman, Senate president pro tem emeritus Archived July 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The Denver Post (November 15, 2014).
  39. ^ Elizabeth Flock, In First, Two Openly Gay Candidates Battle for State Senate Archived November 6, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. News & World Report (August 27, 2012).
  40. ^ "Why I Ran: Colorado State Rep. Leslie Herod" Archived December 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Elle, January 20, 2017.
  41. ^ "Gay America’s Harrowing, Heartening Year" Archived December 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. The New Yorker, December 31, 2016.
  42. ^ "Election Night Reporting". index.html. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  43. ^ Allen, Samantha (November 13, 2018). "Brianna Titone Just Made Transgender History in Colorado". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  44. ^ "Brianna Titone Makes History As First Openly Transgender State Legislator In Colorado". November 12, 2018. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  45. ^ Nick Ravo, For Gay Legislator, Bill Is End of 'Long Journey' Archived August 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times (April 23, 1991).
  46. ^ Siadate, Nazly (August 23, 2012). "Americas Six Out Bisexual Elected State Officials". The Advocate. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  47. ^ Steve Rothaus, David Richardson, Florida' first openly gay legislator, reelected when GOP opponent's filing check bounces, Miami Herald (July 2, 2014).
  48. ^ Ashley Lopez, Florida Elects Two Openly Gay State Lawmakers For The First Time Archived July 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, WLRN (November 14, 2012).
  49. ^ "Democrat J.D. Ford becomes first LGBT candidate elected to Indiana General Assembly" Archived November 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. WXIN, November 6, 2018.
  50. ^ "A Silent Partnership". The Des Moines Register. March 8, 2014.
  51. ^ Sean R. Sedam (March 9, 2007). "Looking after Maggie's farm". The Gazette. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  52. ^ "Murphy Taps Rep. Erin Maye Quade As Running Mate In Race For Governor". WCCO-TV. ViacomCBS. June 3, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  53. ^ "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present – Legislator Record – Clark, Karen J". Minnesota legislature. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  54. ^ Weber, Stephanie (December 21, 2016). "Minnesota Rep. Susan Allen Is Two-Spirit, a Lesbian, and She Won't Be Assimilated". Slate Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  55. ^ Bierschbach, Briana (August 10, 2022). "Leigh Finke poised to make history as Minnesota's first transgender legislator". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  56. ^ Walker, Adria R. (December 1, 2023). "Fabian Nelson, Mississippi's first out gay legislator: 'I'm staying true to my constituents'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  57. ^ Branigin, Anne (July 27, 2022). "A record number of trans and nonbinary people are running for office". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  58. ^ "Daniel O'Donnell Wins Uncontested Upper West Side Assembly Seat". November 4, 2020.
  59. ^ "Gay Candidates Nearly Sweep Primaries". www.advocate.com. September 15, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  60. ^ Schindler, Paul. "LGBT Assemblymembers Win Big". Gay City News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  61. ^ "Teacher Jabari Brisport set to be N.Y.'s 1st Black gay state senator". NBC News. September 24, 2020.
  62. ^ "Chuck Carpenter, Oregon, 1994". OutHistory. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  63. ^ Couloumbis, Angela (September 23, 2014). "Sen. Ferlo makes it official". Philly.com. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  64. ^ Chinchilla, Rudy (November 7, 2018). "Pa. Elects First Openly Gay Person of Color to Statehouse". NBC 10 Philadelphia. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  65. ^ "Welcome | Philadelphia Magazine". Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  66. ^ Reese, Phil (April 26, 2012). "2012 proving busy year for Victory Fund". Washington Blade. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  67. ^ Cope, Cassie (June 25, 2016). "SC GOP is changing, says state's first openly gay legislator". Greenville Online. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  68. ^ a b McDonald, Hannah (November 4, 2020). "Harris, Mannis make history as first LGBTQ legislators elected to Tennessee House". News Channel 5. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  69. ^ Mary Gonzalez comes out as pansexual Archived December 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Dallas Voice, October 10, 2012.
  70. ^ Writer, Hunter Savery Times Staff (June 21, 2023). "Rozia Henson wins Democratic nod in 19th District state House race". Prince William Times. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  71. ^ "Vice Speaker Benjamin J. Cruz". Benjamin J. Cruz. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  72. ^ Mart Martin (April 24, 2018). The Almanac Of Women And Minorities In American Politics 2002. Routledge. ISBN 9780429976483.
  73. ^ Susan Ferentinos, Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites (Rowman & Littleman, 2015), p. 173.
  74. ^ Japhy Grant, Think Harvey Milk Was the First Openly-Gay Politician? Think Again Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Queerty, (January 21, 2009).
  75. ^ a b "California "Harvey Milk Day" proclamation gets history wrong". LGBTQ Victory Fund. May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  76. ^ "Elaine Noble & Kathy Kozachenko: the first openly LGBT people to be elected". Feministing. May 27, 2015. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  77. ^ "Jim Yeadon-- Bio- People in the History of Gay & Lesbian Life, Milwaukee WI". www.mkelgbthist.org. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  78. ^ Diane Kaufman & Scott Kaufman, Historical Dictionary of the Carter Era (Scarecrow Press, 2013), p. 180.
  79. ^ Peter Freiberg, Albany Man May Be First Black Gay City Official, The Advocate (October 24, 1989), p. 16.
  80. ^ Keith St. John, New York, 1989 Archived November 5, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, OutHistory.
  81. ^ "Joanne Conte's life story a complex tale of gender, politics – The Denver Post". February 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  82. ^ "Marlene Pray Becomes First Openly Bisexual Office Holder In PA – Amplify". Amplifyyourvoice.org. Archived from the original on October 7, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  83. ^ "Marlene Pray resigns from Doylestown Council". phillyburbs.com. March 19, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  84. ^ "Roselle Park Swears in Two Council Members and Makes History as First Community to Have a Gay Married Couple Serve on Council". TapintoRosellePark.net. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  85. ^ Dison, Denis (May 24, 2013). "Gay candidates win in L.A. elections". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  86. ^ Guide to the Robert Gentry Papers MS.R.167 Archived July 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Online Archive of California.
  87. ^ John Laird Archived March 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Out & Elected in the US.
  88. ^ DeFao, Janine (January 7, 2005). "OAKLAND / Wan resigns from City Council / He'll take a job with port so he can support his parents". SFGate. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  89. ^ Making Black Gay History, The Advocate (February 17, 2004), p. 16.
  90. ^ Silicon Valley 40 under 40: Evan Low, city of Campbell Archived April 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Silicon Valley Business Journal (December 13, 2013).
  91. ^ a b Brenda Gazzar, Sierra Madre's Mosca first openly gay mayor in the San Gabriel Valley Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Pasadena-Star News (May 2, 2010).
  92. ^ Wielenga, Dave (May 15, 2013). "Could Gerrie Schipske Be Long Beach's First LGBT Mayor?". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  93. ^ [1], OutHistory (February 8, 2022).
  94. ^ [2], AFSCME News (February 9, 2022.
  95. ^ Import, N. C. S. (November 20, 2018). "Nevada County's Shannan Moon becomes California's first openly-gay sheriff". The Union. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  96. ^ Andy Towle, Gay Man Poised to Become Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut Archived February 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Towleroad (June 23, 2010).
  97. ^ Carlesso, Jenna (November 17, 2010). "Hartford Mayor Segarra Honored By Out Magazine". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  98. ^ Basi, Hariqbal (November 9, 2011). "2011 Election Roundup: LGBT Equality Victories". GLAAD. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  99. ^ "New London, Conn. elects openly gay attorney as first mayor in nine decades". LGBTQ Nation. November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  100. ^ "Delaware City Elects Gay Mayor". The Advocate. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  101. ^ Raymond A. Smith & Donald P. Haider-Markel, Gay and Lesbian Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook (ABC-CLIO, 2002), pp. 194–95.
  102. ^ Andy Towle, Pahokee, Florida Mayor J.P. Sasser Comes Out Publicly Archived January 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Towleroad (October 23, 2006).
  103. ^ Donald Cavanaugh, Ken Keechl – Broward's First Gay Mayor Archived July 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, South Florida Gay News (February 27, 2014).
  104. ^ Julie Bolcer, Gay Mayor Elected in Gainesville by 35 Votes Archived July 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The Advocate (April 14, 2010).
  105. ^ Klingener, Nancy. "Key West Has A Florida First: City Elects Openly Lesbian Mayor". Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  106. ^ Kacala, Alexander. "Florida city elects country's second all-LGBTQ local government". NBC News. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  107. ^ Burke, Peter (March 14, 2018). "Dean Trantalis makes history as first openly gay mayor of Fort Lauderdale". www.local10.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  108. ^ "Lesbian candidate wins big in Tampa mayoral race". April 23, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  109. ^ "Jane Castor's Journey From Police Chief To Tampa's First LGBTQ Mayor". www.wbur.org. May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  110. ^ "'Just let people be who they are': Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne to issue town's first Pride Proclamation". May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  111. ^ "'He's the Treasure Island mayor, he's gay and finally his 'authentic self'". June 29, 2022. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  112. ^ "Treasure Island Mayor wants GOP to live up to being the 'big-tent' party". June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  113. ^ Patrick Saunders (December 24, 2018). "Ben Ku makes history as Gwinnett's first LGBTQ commissioner". Project Q.
  114. ^ "JULY 1990 FULTON COUNTY GENERAL PRIMARY". www.fultoncountyga.gov. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  115. ^ "Community, Politics, and Gay and Lesbian Rights in Atlanta, 1968-1993" (PDF).
  116. ^ Honolulu neighborhood board
  117. ^ Lori Lightfoot elected Chicago mayor, will be 1st black woman and 1st openly gay person to hold post Archived April 3, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, NBC News (April 3, 2019)
  118. ^ Buttigieg, Pete (June 16, 2015). "South Bend mayor: Why Coming Out Matters". South Bend Tribune. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  119. ^ Erin Blasko, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Announces He's Gay Archived July 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Tribune News Service (June 17, 2015).
  120. ^ "Meet Indiana's first transgender elected official". WISHTV.com. November 26, 2019. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  121. ^ Raymond A. Smith & Donald P. Haider-Markel, Gay and Lesbian Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook (ABC-CLIO, 2002), p. 310.
  122. ^ a b c "Kansas (KS) – Out for America". Out for America. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  123. ^ Frost, Evan; Nguyen, Christine (February 25, 2019). "ChangeMakers: Andrea Jenkins, first openly transgender black woman elected to public office". MPR News. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  124. ^ Chris Johnson (November 8, 2017). "Phillipe Cunningham makes history as Minnesota trans male candidate". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  125. ^ Lofgren, Mackenzie (November 8, 2024). "Pine City, Minnesota elects its first openly gay mayor - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  126. ^ Moreau, Julie (October 11, 2022). "Minnesota candidate on coming out as queer midcampaign: 'I felt it was important'". NBC News. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  127. ^ "Justin Lofton Makes History as the First LGBTQ County Supervisor in Mississippi, Defeats 24-Year Incumbent | GLAAD". glaad.org. November 17, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  128. ^ Boston Globe, Globe Northwest, pg. 1,6, 28 August 2003; Bay Windows, 21 August 2003, pg. 1
  129. ^ "Sundquist, Eddie – LGBTQ Victory Fund". victoryfund.org. LGBTQ Victory Fund. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019. Eddie will be the first openly gay mayor of Jamestown, NY
  130. ^ Rao, Anita (April 7, 2017). "Out Of The Closet And Inside The Office, A Conversation With NC's LGBTQ Elected Officials". WUNC 91.5. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  131. ^ Ed Palattella, Erie (Pa.) Times-News. "Transgender man wins school board seat in Pennsylvania – News – The Columbus Dispatch – Columbus, OH". Dispatch.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  132. ^ "Jalen McKee-Rodriguez". www.sa.gov. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  133. ^ Webb, David (June 18, 2009). "Out and in office in Kemp". Dallas Voice. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  134. ^ Alexa Verdugo Morgan, Libertarians in Utah; the fastest growing third-party option, St. George News (July 26, 2012).
  135. ^ Sullivan, Patricia (October 3, 2013). "Newly wed Arlington official Fisette buoyed by challenge to same-sex marriage amendment". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  136. ^ "November 6, 2012 General and Special Elections City of Virginia Beach" (PDF).
  137. ^ "Jefferson Co. Towns host elections this spring".
  138. ^ "Joseph Anderson Obituary (2023) - Portland, OR - the Oregonian". Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  139. ^ Kelleher, Patrick (April 3, 2019). "Satya Rhodes-Conway becomes Madison's first lesbian mayor". PinkNews. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  140. ^ a b David E. Newton, Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook (ABC-CLIO: 2d ed. 2009), p. 128.
  141. ^ Kathie Bergquist & Robert McDonald, A Field Guide to Gay & Lesbian Chicago (Lake Claremont Press: 2006), p. 8.
  142. ^ Proud Heritage: People, Issues, and Documents of the LGBT Experience (ed. Chuck Stewart), ABC-CLIO (2005), p. 949.
  143. ^ Henry J. Reske, Appointment Breaks Barrier: First Openly Gay Federal Judge Assumes Duties, ABA Journal (December 1994), p. 27.
  144. ^ a b c Mark Joseph Stern, Obama's Most Enduring Gay Rights Achievement, Slate (June 17, 2014).
  145. ^ Gavin Broady, A Modern Judicial Role Model: Judge Alison Nathan, Law360 (September 30, 2014).
  146. ^ Dylan Scott (September 24, 2013). "Senate Confirms First Openly Gay Federal Appeals Court Judge". Talking Points Memo.
  147. ^ a b Christie nominates gay black man, Asian to New Jersey Supreme Court seats Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press (January 23, 2012).
  148. ^ David Silva, Cruz Control: Newly Appointed Guam Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cruz May Be the Nation's Highest-Ranking Gay Judge, The Advocate (November 25, 1997), p. 48.
  149. ^ "The Hon. Benjamin J.F. Cruz". Unified Courts of Guam. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  150. ^ "Bi.org » Legally Bi: Finally, A Bi Judge". Bisexual.org. May 18, 2018. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  151. ^ "Judge's Appointment Marks First for State". The News-Journal. January 17, 1992. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  152. ^ Toomey, Sheila (December 12, 1989). "Judge Watches Reputation Slide Into Seamy Sex Trial". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
edit