List of LGBT politicians in the United States

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This is a chronological list of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender politicians who have held office in the United States. Historical figures are included only if there is documented evidence of an open queer identity.

Most out LGBT politicians in the U.S. are part of the Democratic Party, which has taken a more favorable stance than Republicans towards LGBT rights.[1][2]

Federal[]

Executive[]

Image Name Party Office Held
(tenure) 		Notes
Richard Grenell official portrait (cropped).jpg Richard Grenell
(born 1966) 		Republican Director of National Intelligence
(2020) (Acting) 		First openly gay member of the United States Cabinet, albeit in an acting capacity[3]
Pete Buttigieg official photo (cropped).jpg Pete Buttigieg
(born 1982) 		Democratic Secretary of Transportation
(2021–present) 		First openly gay Cabinet Secretary[4]

Legislative[]

Main article: List of LGBT members of the United States Congress

State[]

Executive[]

Image Name
(lifespan) 		Party State Office Held
(tenure) 		Notes
Jim McGreevey 2009 Exodus 7 (cropped).jpg Jim McGreevey
(born 1957) 		Democratic New Jersey Governor
(2002–2004) 		Came out in the same speech as his resignation
First openly gay governor[5]
Kate Brown in 2017 (cropped).jpg Kate Brown
(born 1960) 		Democratic Oregon Governor
(2015–)
Oregon Secretary of State
(2009–2015) 		Openly bisexual
First openly LGBT person elected governor in the U.S.[6]
Jared Polis official photo (cropped).jpg Jared Polis
(born 1975) 		Democratic Colorado Governor
(2019–) 		First openly gay man to be elected governor in the U.S.[7]

Legislative[]

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Image Name
(lifespan) 		Party State Office Held
(tenure) 		Notes
Richardtisei.jpg Richard Tisei
(born 1962) 		Republican Massachusetts Massachusetts House of Representatives
(1985–1991)
Massachusetts Senate
(1991–2011) 		Lived with his partner, Bernie Starr, since 1994;[8] they married in 2013[9]
Kate Brown in 2017 (cropped).jpg Kate Brown
(born 1960) 		Democratic Oregon Oregon Senate
(1997–2009)
Oregon House of Representatives
(1991–1997) 		Openly bisexual[6]
AltheaGarrison (1).png Althea Garrison
(born 1940) 		Republican Massachusetts Massachusetts House of Representatives
(1993–1995) 		First transgender person to hold state office; outed against her will[10]
Patrick Guerriero.jpg Patrick Guerriero
(born 1968) 		Republican Massachusetts Massachusetts House of Representatives
(1993–1998) 		Came out publicly as gay while running for lieutenant governor in 2002[11]
Reed Gusciora
(born 1960) 		Democratic New Jersey New Jersey General Assembly
(1996–2018) 		First openly gay member of the New Jersey state legislature[12]
Roy Ashburn (cropped).jpg Roy Ashburn
(born 1954) 		Republican California California State Senate
(2002–2010) 		Came out as gay after leaving office[13]
Kyrsten Sinema (cropped).jpg Kyrsten Sinema
(born 1976) 		Democratic Arizona Arizona Senate
(2011–2012)
Arizona House of Representatives
(2005–2011) 		Openly bisexual[14]
Tim Eustace
(born 1957) 		Democratic New Jersey New Jersey General Assembly
(2012–2018)
Mayor of Maywood, New Jersey
(2008–2011) 		Second openly gay person ever elected to the New Jersey Legislature[15]
Shevrin Jones.jpg Shevrin Jones
(born 1983) 		Democratic Florida Florida Senate
(2020–)
Florida House of Representatives
(2012–2020) 		First openly LGBT black person elected to the Florida Legislature[16]
State Rep Brian Sims.jpg Brian Sims
(born 1978) 		Democratic Pennsylvania Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(2012–) 		First openly gay person elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly[17]
Mark Levine in Old Town Alexandria VA.jpg Mark Levine
(born 1966) 		Democratic Virginia Virginia House of Delegates
(2016–) 		Openly gay Congressman elected to Virginia House of Delegates[18]
Lisa Bunker Democratic New Hampshire New Hampshire House of Representatives
(2018–) 		Simultaneously elected as New Hampshire's first openly transwomen legislators[19]
Gerri Cannon
(born 1953) 		Democratic New Hampshire New Hampshire House of Representatives
(2018–)
2017.07.26 Protest Trans Military Ban, White House, Washington DC USA 7684 (36056856301) (cropped).jpg Danica Roem
(born 1984) 		Democratic Virginia Virginia House of Delegates
(2018–) 		First openly transgender elected official in the U.S.[20]
Sonya Jaquez Lewis
(born 1957) 		Democratic Colorado Colorado House of Representatives
(2019–) 		First Latina and the first LGBTQ person ever elected to the Colorado General Assembly from Boulder County, Colorado[21]
MalcolmKenyatta-11.06.18 (2).jpg Malcolm Kenyatta
(born 1990) 		Democratic Pennsylvania Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(2019–) 		First openly LGBT+ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly[22]
Brandon Woodard
(born 1990) 		Democratic Kansas Kansas House of Representatives
(2019–) 		First openly gay member of the Kansas House of Representatives[23]
Torrey Harris
(born 1991) 		Democratic Tennessee Tennessee House of Representatives
(2021–) 		With Eddie Mannis, first openly gay member of the Tennessee House of Representatives[24]
Eddie Mannis
(born 1959) 		Republican Tennessee Tennessee House of Representatives
(2021–) 		With Torrey Harris, first openly gay member of the Tennessee House of Representatives[24]
Sarah McBride portrait photograph.jpg Sarah McBride
(born 1990) 		Democratic Delaware Delaware Senate
(2021–) 		First openly transgender state senator in the U.S.[25]
Taylor small 2020 int 2.jpg Taylor Small
(born 1994) 		Progressive[a] Vermont Vermont House of Representatives
(2021–) 		First openly transgender member of the Vermont House of Representatives[26]
Tony Labranche Democratic New Hampshire New Hampshire House of Representatives

(2021-)

Youngest openly LGBTQ+ legislator in U.S. History[27]


Local[]

Executive[]

Image Name Party State Office Held
(tenure) 		Notes
Annise Parker (1).JPG Annise Parker
(born 1956) 		Democratic[b] Texas Mayor of Houston
(2010–2016) 		First openly LGBTQ mayor of a top 10 American city (by population)[28]
PeteButtigieg (1).JPG Pete Buttigieg
(born 1982) 		Democratic Indiana Mayor of South Bend
(2012–2020) 		Came out as gay in 2015,[29] and married Chasten Glezman in 2018[30]
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan Headshot.jpg Jenny Durkan
(born 1958) 		Democratic[b] Washington Mayor of Seattle
(2017–) 		Seattle's first lesbian mayor[31]
Liz Ordiales
(born 1959) 		Nonpartisan Georgia Mayor of Hiawassee
(2017–) 		Openly lesbian mayor[32]
Reed Gusciora
(born 1960) 		Democratic New Jersey Mayor of Trenton
(2018–)
Lori Lightfoot 1.png Lori Lightfoot
(born 1962) 		Democratic Illinois Mayor of Chicago
(2019–) 		Openly lesbian

Legislative[]

Image Name Party State Office Held
(tenure) 		Notes
Christine Quinn VF 2012 Shankbone.JPG Christine Quinn
(born 1954) 		Democratic New York New York City Councilwoman
(1999–2013)
Speaker of the New York City Council
(2006–2013) 		Openly lesbian
First LGBT person to hold the speakership of the New York City Council
Corey Johnson 2015.jpg Corey Johnson
(born 1982) 		Democratic New York New York City Councilman
(2014–present)
Speaker of the New York City Council
(2019–present) 		Openly gay, openly HIV-positive
First gay man to hold the speakership of the New York City Council[33]
Ritchie Torres 117th U.S Congress (cropped).jpg Ritchie Torres
(born 1988) 		Democratic New York New York City Councilman
(2014–2020) 		Openly gay
Phillipe Cunningham, Minneapolis City Council Member (cropped).jpg Phillipe Cunningham
(born 1982) 		Democratic Minnesota Minneapolis City Council from the 4th Ward
(2018–) 		Along with Andrea Jenkins, became the first openly transgender black elected officials in the U.S.[34] and the first trans man[35]
Andrea Jenkins - Minneapolis City Council Vice President, Ward 8 (38891113634) (cropped).jpg Andrea Jenkins
(born 1961) 		Democratic Minnesota Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council
(2018–) 		Along with Phillipe Cunningham, became the first openly transgender black elected officials in the U.S.[36] and the first trans woman[37]
AltheaGarrison (1).png Althea Garrison
(born 1940) 		Independent Massachusetts Boston City Council councilor at-large
(2019–2020)[c] 		Also served in Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1993–1995; see above[10]
St. Petersburg City Council Member Darden Rice Official Portrait.jpg Darden Rice
(born 1970) 		Democratic Florida St. Petersburg City Councilwoman, District 4 (2014–Present)
Chair of St. Petersburg City Council (2017)
Vice Chair of St. Petersburg City Council (2016)[38] 		First openly LGBT candidate to run for office in Pinellas County, Florida[39][40]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Also nominated by the Vermont Democratic Party
  2. ^ a b Elected on a nonpartisan basis but the person in question publicly identifies with a political party.
  3. ^ Boston ordinance provides that when an at-large city council becomes vacant, the next largest vote getter is appointed for the remainder of the term. When Ayanna Pressley resigned to take her seat in Congress, Garrison, as the 5th largest vote-getter in 2017, received the appointment. She was defeated in her bid for a full term in 2019.

References[]

  1. ^ Phillips, Amber (June 15, 2020). "Analysis | How out of step is the Republican Party on gay rights?". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Lerer, Lisa; Russonello, Giovanni; Paz, Isabella Grullón (June 17, 2020). "On L.G.B.T.Q. Rights, a Gulf Between Trump and Many Republican Voters". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  3. ^ Barnes, Julian E.; Haberman, Maggie (February 19, 2020). "Trump Names Richard Grenell as Acting Head of Intelligence". The New York Times. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Cathey, Libby (February 2, 2021). "Pete Buttigieg makes history as 1st openly gay Cabinet member confirmed by Senate". ABC News. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  5. ^ "New Jersey governor quits, comes out as gay". CNN. August 13, 2004. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "For First Time, Openly LGBT Governor Elected: Oregon's Kate Brown". NPR.org. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Smith, David (April 5, 2019). "What it's like being America's first openly gay governor". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  8. ^ CK Wolfson (September 8, 2010). "Katama resident Richard Tisei: a quiet political presence — until now". Martha's Vineyard Times. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  9. ^ Stephanie Ebert (March 21, 2014). "Richard Tisei to boycott GOP convention". Boston Globe.
  10. ^ a b Osberg, Molly (November 8, 2017). "The Tragic Story of Althea Garrison, the First Trans Person to Hold State Office in America". Splinter. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Swift Names Guerriero As Running Mate: Former Staff Member Is Openly Gay". The Boston Channel. January 3, 2002. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  12. ^ "The 15 Most Influential LGBT Advocates in NJ Politics". Observer. April 20, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  13. ^ Christine Bedell (March 8, 2010). "Roy Ashburn: "I am gay"". Bakersfield Californian. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  14. ^ "Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema to be first openly bisexual U.S. senator". azcentral. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  15. ^ NJ.com, Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for (April 12, 2018). "Groundbreaking Democrat to resign from N.J. Assembly". nj. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Lang 4/12/2019, Nico. "Shevrin Jones, Florida's First Black and Gay Lawmaker, Is Ready to Make History—Again". LOGO News. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  17. ^ Wing, Nicholas (April 26, 2012). "Pennsylvania Set To Elect First Openly Gay State Lawmaker". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  18. ^ "LGBTQ political candidates score historic victories across U.S." NBC News. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  19. ^ "Two transgender women elected to N.H. House". Washington Blade. November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Manchester, Julia (November 5, 2019). "Danica Roem wins reelection in Virginia state legislature". TheHill. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  21. ^ "Voterly". Voterly. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  22. ^ Zipkin, Michele (January 30, 2020). "Out State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta endorsed by local Service Employees International Union". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved March 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "First openly gay person elected to Kansas House". KMBC. November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Hannah McDonald, "Harris, Mannis make history as first LGBTQ legislators elected to Tennessee House". WTVF, November 4, 2020.
  25. ^ Johnson, Chris (November 3, 2020). "Sarah McBride Is Set to Be the Nation's Highest-Ranking Transgender Official". Washington Blade. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  26. ^ "Taylor Small will be Vermont's first out transgender legislator". LGBTQ Nation. November 3, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  27. ^ Flores, Andrew; Gossett, Charles. "11 openly LGBTQ lawmakers will take their seats in the next Congress. That's a record in both numbers and diversity". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  28. ^ Imse, Elliot. "Annise Parker". LGBTQ Victory Institute. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  29. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (July 14, 2019). "Pete Buttigieg's Life in the Closet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  30. ^ Tribune, Mary Shown South Bend. "Mayor Pete Buttigieg marries partner Chasten Glezman in downtown South Bend". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  31. ^ "Seattle has just elected its first lesbian mayor". The Independent. November 8, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  32. ^ Julie Moreau (November 8, 2017). "LGBTQ Political Candidates Score Historic Victories Across U.S." NBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  33. ^ Gloria Pazmino (November 28, 2017). "Corey Johnson's charm offensive". Politico. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  34. ^ Burns, Katelyn (December 3, 2019). "Andrea Jenkins is one of the first Black, trans elected officials. She's building bridges". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  35. ^ "Phillipe Cunningham makes history as Minnesota trans male candidate". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. November 8, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  36. ^ "LGBTQ political candidates score historic victories across U.S." NBC News. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  37. ^ Chia, Jessica. "First openly transgender African American woman elected to public office in U.S." nydailynews.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  38. ^ "Darden Rice Official City Council Website". www.stpete.org. City of St. Petersburg.
  39. ^ Covello, Rachel. "OUTCOAST Leader Profile: Darden Rice, Chair of St. Petersburg City Council". www.outcoast.com. 2021 OutCoast, LLC.
  40. ^ Williams-Jent, Ryan. "Darden Rice launches St. Petersburg mayoral campaign". Watermark. Watermark Publishing Group.
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