Gay Politicians

Information on lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and gay politicians in the United States, both elected or current candidates, both in Congress and in the states. Check who is open about it and who is in the closet.

Winning equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Americans requires the support of fair-minded politicians as well as openly LGBT politicians that put a personal face to legislation. Like in any institution, a critical mass of LGBT politicians is needed in order to represent the need for legal equality.

A HISTORY OF FIRSTS

• The first openly LGBT person in political office was Nancy Wechsler
  > She was elected to the Ann Arbor City Council in 1972 as a member of the Human Rights Party and came out as a lesbian during her first and only term there.

• The first person to win an election as openly LGBT was Kathy Kozachenko.

> In January 1974, she won a seat as an open lesbian on the Ann Arbor City Council as member of the Human Rights Party.

• Harvey Milk was the fifth person elected to public office in the US as openly LGBT.
  > He was elected in 1977 as a member of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco.
  > Four others were elected before him as openly LGBT:
  • Kathy Kozachenko (Ann Arbor City Council, January 1974)
  • Elaine Noble (Massachusetts House of Representatives, November 1974)
  • Allan Spear (Minnesota State Senate, Nov 1976) (He came out during his first term and was reelected.)
  • Jim Yeadon (Madison, WI City Council, April 1977)

• The first openly gay Democratic member of the US House of Representatives was Gerry Studds (D-MA).
  > He served from 1973 to 1997; he was in the closet when first elected.
  > He acknowledged that he was gay in 1983 when he was censured by the House for having an consensual affair with a male page of legal age. He continued to win elections until he decided to retire.


• The first openly gay Republican member of the US House of Representatives was Steve Gunderson (R-WI).
  > He served from 1980 to 1997; he was in the closet when first elected.
  > He was outed in 1996 by another Republican because Gunderson was the only Republican in Congress to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act that President Bill Clinton signed into law.


• The first openly lesbian woman elected to the US Congress was Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in 1998.
  > In 2012, she became the first LGBT person to get elected to the US Senate.

• The first openly gay man elected to the US Congress as a freshman was Jared Polis (D-CO) in 2008.
  > He continues to proudly represent Colorado's 2nd district.

• The first openly gay man elected to the US Congress was Jared Polis (D-CO) in 2008.
  > He continues to proudly represent Colorado's 2nd district.
   
• The first openly LGBT person to be elected to the US Senate was Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in 2012.
  > She is also the only openly LGBT person serving in the US Senate. In 1998 she became the first openly lesbian woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives.

NOT ENOUGH REPRESENTATION

Any minority needs a critical mass of representatives.

• Only five members US House of Representatives are openly gay men: David Cicilline (D-RI), Sean Patrick Malone (D-NY), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), and Mark Takano (D-CA)
   
• Only one member of the US House of Representatives is openly bisexual: Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). No members of the US House are openly lesbian or transgender


• Only one member of the US Senate is openly LGBT: Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)


• 20 states do not have an openly LGBT member of the State Legislature

SUPPORT LGBT POLITICIANS

eQualityGiving endorses candidates (independent of party affiliation and sexual orientation) who are pro equality and are running for office at the Federal level or statewide. Check here the list of eQualityGiving's endorsed candidates for 2014.

Among those who we endorsed for the 2012 election, six were running as openly LGBT:

• Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for election to the US Senate (as an Endorsed Candidate to Fund)
• David Cicilline (D-RI) for re-election to the US House of Representatives (as an Endorsed Candidate to Fund)
• Jared Polis (D-CO) for re-election for the US House of Representatives
• Ed Potosnak (D-NJ) for election to the US House of Representatives (as an Endorsed Candidate to Fund)
• Mark Pocan (D-WI) for election to the US House of Representatives (as an Endorsed Candidate to Fund)
• Mark Tacano (D-CA) for election to the US House of Representatives (as an Endorsed Candidate to Fund)

Among those who we endorsed for the 2010 election, seven were running as openly LGBT:

• David Cicilline (D-RI) for election to the US House of Representatives -elected Nov. 2010
  
• Scott Galvin (D-FL) for election to the US House of Representatives - did not win
• Ed Potosnak (D-NJ) for election to the US House of Representatives - did not win
• Steve Pougnet (D-CA) for election to the US House of Representatives - did not win
• Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for re-election for the US House of Representatives- reelected Nov 2010
  
• Barney Frank (D-MA) for re-election for the US House of Representatives- reelected Nov 2010
• Jared Polis (D-CO) for re-election for the US House of Representatives- reelected Nov 2010

Read also about funding openly LGBT candidates (mostly at the local and state level) through the Victory Fund.