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List of first openly LGBTQ politicians in the United States

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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

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Congress

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Main article: List of LGBTQ members of the United States Congress
  • 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

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Executive

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Donald Trump was the first President to appoint an open member of the LGBT community to an acting position in the presidential Cabinet, by making Richard Grenell the acting director of national intelligence. Grenell's position was never put forward for Senate confirmation, and he served in that role for only three months.[5] 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.[6][7]

See also: List of LGBT ambassadors of the United States and GLIFAA

State

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Overall firsts

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State officers by state

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Constitutional officers

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Legislative officials

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  • 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)[29]
  • Rhode Island:
  • Vermont:
  • Washington:
    • Senate minority leader: Sen. Ed Murray (D) (2012)
  • Wyoming:

State legislators

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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.

See also: California Legislative LGBT Caucus

Territorial legislators

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Local

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Nationwide firsts

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By state

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  • 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.[87]
    • 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.[88]
    • John Laird was elected mayor of Santa Cruz in 1983.[89]
    • 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.[90]
    • 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.[91]
    • 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.[92]
    • Joe Mosca took office as mayor of Sierra Madre in 2010, becoming the first openly gay mayor in the San Gabriel Valley.[93] 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.[93]
    • 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.[94]
    • 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.[95] 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.[96]
    • Shannon Moon was elected as Sheriff-Coroner of Nevada County California in 2018[97] 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).[102]
  • 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.[19]
    • 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.[115]
    • 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. [116] [117]
  • Hawaii
    • Tim Riley was elected to the Waianae neighborhood board in February 2019.[118]
  • 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.[119]
  • Indiana
    • Pete Buttigieg, first major political party candidate for president; before that mayor of South Bend – publicly announced that he was gay in 2015,[120] while in his first term in office; first openly LGBT executive official in Indiana.[121]
    • Veronica Pejril – Indiana's first transgender elected official, Greencastle city council, elected 2019.[122]
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
    • Longest-serving LGBTQ elected official: Henry Schwaller, elected 1999 – city commissioner, Hays, Kansas[124]
    • Mayor: C.C. Smith (female), elected 2017 – Linn Valley, Kansas[124]
    • Kansas has six openly-LGBT city councillors/commissioners, including in two of the state's ten biggest cities: Shawnee and Manhattan.[124]
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
    • Pike County
      • Board of Supervisors: Justin Lofton,elected in 2023,first out LGBTQ county supervisor in the state of Mississippi[128]
    • 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[129]
  • 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) [131]
      • 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.[132]
  • 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[133]
    • Houston
      • Mayor (Major City): Annise Parker, elected 2009, assumed office January 2010
    • Kemp
      • Mayor (Any City): Matthew Ganssle, elected 2009, assumed office May 2009[134]
    • New Hope
      • Mayor: Jess Herbst, appointed 2016, came out as transgender 2017
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin

Judicial

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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.[141] 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.[141]

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.[142][143]

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.[144] (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.)[145]

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).[145][146]

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.[145][147]

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.[148] 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).[148] 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.[149] Cruz served as associate justice from 1997 to 1999 and as chief justice from 1999 until his retirement in 2001.[150]

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.[151]

  • State judge of compensation claims: Rand Hoch, Flagler, Seminole and Volusia counties, Florida – appointed 1992[152]
  • 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.[153]

See also

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References

[edit]
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