List of first openly LGBT politicians in the United States: Difference between revisions

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As of 2011:

48 states have been served by openly-LGBT elected politicians in any capacity, save for Alaska and South Dakota
at least 32 states have elected openly-gay male or female politicians to one or both houses of state legislatures.
only one state governor has ever come out as gay; no openly-LGBT governor or President has ever been elected to office.

Federal

Congress

U.S. Representative: Gerry Studds^[1] (MA-12, MA-10) - came out 1983
U.S. Representative (out when first elected): Tammy Baldwin (WI-2) - elected 1998
U.S. Representative (out when first elected, male): Jared Polis (CO-2) - elected 2008
Congressional committee chair: Barney Frank^[2] (MA-4) - came out 1987, chair of House Financial Services Committee 2007

State

State governor:
- New Jersey: Jim McGreevey^[3] - came out 2004 (during the same speech in which he resigned as Governor)
Secretary of State:
- Oregon: Kate Brown - elected 2008
State comptroller:
- Vermont: Ed Flanagan - elected 1992
- Connecticut: Kevin Lembo - elected 2010
State treasurer:
- Maine: Dale McCormick - elected (by the legislature) 1996
State legislative leaders:
- Presiding officer: Minnesota Sen. Allan H. Spear - elected senate president 1993
- Speaker: Rhode Island Rep. Gordon D. Fox - elected speaker 2010

State legislators

The legislatures of 36 states have had at least one openly LGBT member; the first out person to serve in each of those states is listed here. The 14 remaining states have never had an openly LGBT state legislator. They are: Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Massachusetts:
- Rep. Elaine Noble (female) - elected 1974, came out 1974 after election
- Rep. (later Sen.) Jarrett Barrios (male) - elected to House 1999, elected to Senate 2003
- Sen. Cheryl Jacques - elected 1993
Minnesota:
- Sen. Allan H. Spear (male) - elected 1972, came out December 1974
New Hampshire:
- Rep. Raymond Buckley - elected 1986
Washington State:
- Rep. (later Sen.) Cal Anderson - appointed 1987
- Rep. Laurie Jinkins (female) - elected 2010
Connecticut:
- Rep. Joseph S. Grabarz Jr - came out 1990
Maine:
- Sen. Dale McCormick - elected 1990
New York:
- Rep. Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (female) - elected 1990
- Sen. Thomas Duane (male) - elected 1998
- Rep. Micah Kellner (male; bisexual) - elected 2007
Vermont:
- Rep. Ron Squires - elected 1990
- Sen. Ed Flanagan (male) - elected 2005
Oregon:
- Rep. Gail Shibley - appointed 1991
Texas:
- Rep. Glen Maxey - elected 1991
New Mexico:
- Sen. Liz Stefanics - elected 1992
Wisconsin:
- Rep. (now U.S. Rep.) Tammy Baldwin (female) - elected 1992
- Rep. (later Sen.) Tim Carpenter (male) - elected to Assembly in 1984, came out in 2001, elected to Senate in 2002
Rhode Island:
- Sen. William P. Fitzpatrick (male) - elected 1992, came out 1992 after election
Arizona:
- Rep. (later Sen.) Ken Cheuvront - elected 1994
California:
- Assemblywoman (later Sen.) Sheila Kuehl (female) - elected 1994 to House; elected to Senate in 2000
- Rep. John Pérez (male) - first Speaker, appointed 2010
Missouri:
- Rep. Tim Van Zandt (male) - elected 1994
- Sen. Jolie Justus (female) - elected 2007
Illinois:
- Rep. Larry McKeon (male) - elected 1996
- Rep. Deb Mell (female) - elected 2009
Montana:
- Rep. Diane Sands - appointed 1996
Nevada:
- Assemblyman (now Sen.) David Parks - elected 1996
Utah:
- Rep. Jackie Biskupski (female) - elected 1998
- Sen. Scott McCoy (male) - elected 2005
Georgia:
- Rep. Karla Drenner - elected 2000
- Rep. Rashad Taylor - elected 2008, came out 2011
Michigan:
- Rep. Chris Kolb - elected 2000
Colorado:
- Rep. (later Sen.) Jennifer Veiga (female) - came out 2002
- Rep. Mark Ferrandino (male) - elected 2007; elected House Minority Leader 2011
- Sen. Pat Steadman (male) - elected 2009
- Sen. Lucía Guzmán (female) - elected 2010
Maryland:
- Del. Maggie McIntosh - came out 2002
Kentucky:
- Sen. Ernesto Scorsone - came out 2003
Virginia:
- Del. (now Sen.) Adam Ebbin - elected 2003; elected first state senator 2011
Iowa:
- Sen. Matt McCoy - came out 2004
Idaho:
- Rep. (now Sen.) Nicole LeFavour - elected 2004
North Carolina:
- Sen. Julia Boseman - elected 2004
- Rep. Marcus Brandon (male) - elected 2010
Alabama:
- Rep. Patricia Todd - elected 2006
Arkansas:
- Rep. Kathy Webb - elected 2006
Oklahoma:
- Rep. (now Sen.) Al McAffrey - elected 2006; elected first state senator 2012
Hawaii:
- Rep. Joe Bertram III - elected 2006
- Rep. Blake Oshiro - first House Majority Leader, came out 2010
New Jersey:
- Assemblyman Reed Gusciora - came out 2006
Wyoming:
- Rep. Cathy Connolly - elected 2008
Ohio:
- Rep. Nickie Antonio - elected 2010

Local

Executive

First mayor of a U.S. state capital: David Cicilline, Providence, Rhode Island - 2002
Largest city (in the country) with a lesbian mayor: Annise Parker, Houston, Texas - 2009
Largest city with a gay male mayor: Sam Adams, Portland, Oregon - 2008
First transgender mayor: Stu Rasmussen, Silverton, Oregon - 2008

By state

California
- Cambell Beach
  - Mayor: Evan Low
- Palm Springs
  - Mayor: Ron Oden
- Redondo Beach
  - Mayor: Mike Gin
- Sierra Madre
  - Mayor: Joe Mosca
- Vallejo
  - Mayor: Gary Cloutier
Connecticut
- New London
  - Mayor: Daryl Justin Finizio
- Hartford
  - Mayor: Pedro Segarra
Delaware
- Delaware City
  - Mayor: John Buchheit
Florida
- Broward County
  - Mayor: Ken Keechl
- Gainesville
  - Mayor: Craig Lowe
Kentucky
- Lexington
  - Mayor: Jim Gray
Massachusetts
- Attleboro
  - Kevin Dumas (male), elected 2003
- Cambridge
  - Kenneth Reeves (male), elected 1992
  - E. Denise Simmons (female), elected 2008
- Holyoke
  - Mayor: Alex Morse, elected 2011
Michigan
- Ferndale
  - Mayor: Craig Covey
Mississippi
- Southaven
  - Mayor: Greg Davis (came out in 2011)
New Jersey
- Chatham Borough
  - Mayor: Bruce Harris, elected 2011
- Long Hill Township
  - Mayor: Gina Genovese, elected 2005
- Neptune Township
  - Mayor: Randy Bishop
- Maywood
  - Mayor: Tim Eustace
North Carolina
- Carrboro
  - Mayor: Mike Nelson, elected 1995
- Chapel Hill
  - Mayor: Mark Kleinschmidt, elected 2009
Oregon
- Portland
  - Sam Adams
- Silverton
  - Stu Rasmussen (transgender)
Rhode Island
- Providence
  - Mayor: David Cicilline
Texas
- Houston
  - Mayor: Annise Parker, elected 2008
Utah
- Big Water
  - Mayor: Willy Marshall

Legislative

City Councilmembers: Nancy Wechsler, Jerry DeGrieck (Ann Arbor) - came out 1973
City Councilmember (out when first elected): Kathy Kozachenko (Ann Arbor) - elected 1974
City-County Supervisor: Harvey Milk (City and County of San Francisco) - out when elected in 1977 (assassinated)
City Councilmember (transgender): Joanne Conte (Arvada, Colorado) - trans woman, served on Arvada City Council from 1991 to 1995

By state

Arizona
- Phoenix
  - Councilmember: Tom Simplot
California
- Berkeley
  - Councilmember: Kriss Worthington
- Long Beach
  - Councilmember: Gerrie Schipske (female), out when elected 2006
- Los Angeles
  - Councilmember: Joel Wachs (male), elected 1971, came out 1999
  - Councilmember: Bill Rosendahl (male), out when elected 2005
  - Councilmember: Jackie Goldberg (female), elected 1994
- Oakland
  - Councilmember: Danny Wan
- Palm Springs
  - Councilmember: Ron Oden, elected 1995
- Petaluma
  - Gabe Kearney
- San Diego
  - Councilmember: Christine Kehoe, elected 1993
- San Francisco
  - Councilmember: Harvey Milk
Colorado
- Arvada
  - Councilmember: Joanne Conte (transgender)
- Denver
  - Councilmember: Robin Kniech, elected 2011
- Lakewood
  - Councilmember: Karen Kellen
District of Columbia
- Councilmember: David Catania
Florida
- Hillsborough County
  - County Commissioner: Kevin Beckner
- St. Petersburg
  - Councilmember: Steve Kornell
- Wilton Manors
  - Councilmember: John Fiore
Georgia
- Atlanta
  - Councilmember: Alex Wan (male), elected 2010
  - Councilmember: Cathy Woolard, elected 1997
  - City Council President: Cathy Woolard, elected 2002
- Decatur
  - Commissioner: Kecia Cunningham
- Doraville
  - Councilmember: Brian L. Bates
- East Point
  - Councilmember: Lance Rhodes
- Milton
  - Councilmeber: Alan Tart
Illinois
- Chicago:
  - Alderman: Tom Tunney, elected 2003
- Springfield
  - Alderman: Cory Jobe, elected 2011
Indiana
- Indianapolis
  - Councilmember: Zach Adamson
Maine
- Portland
  - Councilmember: Barb Wood, elected 1987
Maryland
- College Park
  - Councilmember: Patrick Wojahn
Massachusetts
- Holyoke
  - Councilmember: Timothy Purington
- New Bedford
  - Councilmember: Joe DeMedeiros
Michigan
- Ann Arbor
  - Councilmember: Kathy Kozachenko
  - Councilmember: Jerry DeGrieck
Minnesota
- Duluth
  - Councilmember: Jeff Anderson
- Moorhead
  - Councilmember: Greg Lemke
Montana
- Missoula
  - Councilmember: Caitlin Copple
New Jersey
- Jersey City
  - Councilmember: Ray Velazquez
New York
- Rochester
  - Councilmember: Tim Mains, elected 1985
- New York City
  - Councilmembers: Antonio Pagán and Thomas Duane, both elected in 1991
  - Speaker of the City Council: Christine Quinn
- Suffolk County
  - Councilmember: Jon Cooper
- Troy
  - Councilmember: Ken Zalewski
North Carolina
- Carrboro
  - Alderwoman: Lydia Lavelle
- Chapel Hill
  - Councilmember: Mark Kleinschmidt, elected 2001
- Charlotte
  - Councilmember: LaWana Mayfield, elected 2011
Ohio
- Cincinnati
  - Councilmember: Chris Seelbach
Pennsylvania
- Harrisburg
  - Councilmember: Daniel C. Miller
- New Hope Borough
  - Councilmember: Geri Delevich
- Pittsburgh
  - Councilmember: Bruce Kraus
Tennessee
- Nashville
  - Councilmember: Keith Durbin
Texas
- Austin
  - Councilmember: Randi Shade
- Fort Worth
  - Councilmember: Joel Burns
- Houston
  - Councilmember: Annise Parker (female), elected 1997
  - Councilmember: Mike Laster (male), elected 2011
Virginia
- Blacksburg
  - Councilmember: Michael Sutphin, elected 2011
Washington:
- Seattle
  - Councilmember: Sherry Harris (female), elected 1991^[4]
  - Councilmember: Tom Rasmussen (male), elected 2003^[5]

Judicial

Federal judge: Deborah Batts, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York - appointed 1994
State supreme court judge: Rives Kistler, Oregon Supreme Court - appointed 2003
Transgender judge: Victoria Kolakowski, Superior Court of Alameda County, California - elected 2010

References

^ Housecleaning, Time, July 25, 1983
^ John Gallagher, "Politics: A Broader Bully Pulpit: As Congress grapples with solutions for a faltering economy, Barney Frank sits at the center of power," The Advocate, September 9, 2008, p. 24.
^ Curry, Tom (2004-08-13). "McGreevey confession doesn't reveal all". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
^ Zimmerman, Bonnie (2000). Lesbian histories and cultures: an encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing. p. 258.
^ "Rasmussen kicks-off campaign for re-election to Seattle City Council". SGN.org. Seattle Gay News. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2011.

[1] Housecleaning, Time, July 25, 1983

[2] John Gallagher, "Politics: A Broader Bully Pulpit: As Congress grapples with solutions for a faltering economy, Barney Frank sits at the center of power," The Advocate, September 9, 2008, p. 24.

[3] Curry, Tom (2004-08-13). "McGreevey confession doesn't reveal all". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-10.

[4] Zimmerman, Bonnie (2000). Lesbian histories and cultures: an encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing. p. 258.

[5] "Rasmussen kicks-off campaign for re-election to Seattle City Council". SGN.org. Seattle Gay News. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2011.

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@@ Line 153: / Line 153: @@
 ***Mayor: [[Jim Gray (Kentucky politician)|Jim Gray]]
 *Massachusetts
+**Attleboro
+***[[Kevin Dumas]] (male), elected 2003
 **Cambridge
 ***[[Kenneth Reeves]] (male), elected 1992

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