Meet the 10 Gay, Lbian, and Bisexual Members of the 116th Congrs

Contents:

• FIRST GAY MAYOR U.S. DIDN’T EXPECT TO BE LGBTQ RIGHTS IN
• GAY MAYORS? WHO R?
• OKLAHOMA TOWN'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR RIGNS, CG HARASSMENT
• NEVADA’S FIRST GAY MAYORS HAVE EP ROOTS SILVER STATE
• U.S. REPRENTATIVE BARNEY FRANK COM OUTBARNEY FRANK WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE MASSACHETTS HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1972 AND SERVED UNTIL HIS ELECTN TO THE U.S. HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1980, BUT DID NOT YET PUBLICLY INTIFY AS LGBTQ. AAID THAT G OUT MIGHT HURT HIS REER, FRANK LGERED THE CLOSET UNTIL 1987, WHEN HE BEME THE FIRST MEMBER OF CONGRS TO VOLUNTARILY E OUT PUBLICLY AS LGBTQ+.“FOR MANY YEARS, I WAS ASHAMED OF MYSELF FOR HIDG MY MEMBERSHIP A UNIVERSALLY SPISED GROUP. I’D BEEN AAID OF EXPOSURE, AND ANGRY AT MYSELF FOR MY SELF-NIAL. I’D FELT SHAME AS I WATCHED YOUNGER GAY MEN AND LBIANS NONT THE BIGOTS OPENLY WH A URAGE THAT I LACKED. AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, LYG TO PEOPLE WAS MUCH EASIER EMOTNALLY THAN FALLY ADMTG MY LIE,” FRANK WROTE POLI ON MARCH 12, 2015, AN EXCERPT OM HIS BOOK, FRANK: A LIFE POLICS OM THE GREAT SOCIETY TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.BUT FRANK RECEIVED UNEXPECTED SUPPORT AND LUXURIATED BEG AN OUT GAY REPRENTATIVE. “I’M ED TO BEG A MORY. HEY, I’M A LEFT-HAND GAY JEW. I’VE NEVER FELT, TOMATILLY, A MEMBER OF ANY MAJORY,” FRANK SAID A NEW YORK TIM MAGAZE TERVIEW FEBARY 4, 1996. WHEN REPUBLIN HOE MAJORY LEAR DICK ARMEY REFERRED TO HIM AS “BARNEY FAG,” FRANK REFED TO ACCEPT THE RIGHT-WGER’S APOLOGY, AND THE SLUR REBOUND ON ARMEY. OVER TIME, FRANK WOULD BEE ONE OF THE MOST FLUENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRS, PLAYG A KEY ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE HOE FANCIAL SERVIC COMMTEE. HE WOULD BE REELECTED 12 TIM.‍JOHN LAIRD ELECTED ONE OF FIRST GAY MAYORS THE U.S.JOHN LAIRD’S LONG REER PUBLIC SERVICE BEGAN 1981 WH A SUCCSFUL RACE FOR THE SANTA CZ CY COUNCIL, WHERE HE SERVED UNTIL 1990. BUT HE WAS PUBLICLY CLOSETED UNTIL 1983, WHEN HE RPOND TO A REPORTER’S QUTN ABOUT HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN BY TELLG THEM HE WAS GAY. LAIRD LATER TOLD “I SAID Y, AND EMBARKED ON AN UNPLANNED MEDIA ROLLER-ASTER RI. I WAS ON THE ONT PAGE OF MOST CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPERS AND MA THE PL HARVEY NEWS. SAN FRANCIS TELEVISN REPORTS REFERRED TO ME AS "AN AVOWED HOMOSEXUAL." AND I WAS VED TO SPEAK AT THE FIFTH MILK/MOSNE NDLELIGHT MARCH.”YET SHORTLY AFTER, FELLOW CY UNCILMEMBERS ELECTED HIM TO A ONE-YEAR TERM AS MAYOR, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE FIRST OUT LGBTQ+ MAYORS U.S. HISTORY. HE WOULD SERVE AGA AS MAYOR OM 1987 TO 1988. IN 2002, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY AND SERVED UNTIL 2008. IN 2020, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE LONGT SERVG OUT LGBTQ+ ELECTED OFFICIALS.KEY WT MAK HISTORY ELECTG RICHARD HEYMAN
• WHAT 'S LIKE BEG AMERI'S FIRST OPENLY GAY ERNOR
• SAN DIEGO'S FIRST GAY MAYOR OF COLOR PLANS TO RHAPE AMERI'S 'FT CY'
• HOTON’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR ON HOW THE CY BEME ONE OF AMERI’S MOST DIVERSE: SEASON 2, EPISO 1 OF 'LET’S GO TOGETHER'

FIRST GAY MAYOR U.S. DIDN’T EXPECT TO BE LGBTQ RIGHTS IN

— Gene Ulrich’s gravtone proclaims what he once felt he uld never say loudly to claim his place history, up on a hill this small town notched wh Ameri’s Bible Belt, mt be said:Was the first openly gay mayor elected the Uned Stat of Ameri. Ulrich might be the most famo gay man you don’t know by name. Also on the gravtone: Served the Uned Stat of Ameri the Army 1st Cavalry Divisn the Republic of will turn 78 July, and his life bookends the trajectory of gay rights Ameri.

He served the ary before gay people were allowed. “I didn’t hi I was gay, but I didn’t shove their face. And when Buttigieg was sworn as the first openly gay Cabet secretary, Ulrich said, he felt a ep personal ronance at the sight of Chasten holdg the Bible as Pete swore to fend the Constutn.

“There were no rabow flags up at our hoe, ” Ulrich the time Ulrich beme mayor, gay men were beg maligned and shunned as the AIDS epimic spread. ”Later on, the missg teeth provid a good ver for not havg to date and nont gay feelgs bee he felt though photo albums show no se, he grew to a mol’s body, 6 feet 2 wh a slenr build toned by manual labor.

GAY MAYORS? WHO R?

She also knew gay people weren’t allowed the ary. It was the first time he’d ever spent a night away om fillg out paperwork, he saw a box next to a qutn: Was homosexual or had homosexual tennci? “Mom knows I’m gay.

As sprg arrived, a new sense of eedom h him at age were no gay bars near Bunceton, nor tck stops or bathho, which Ulrich said didn’t tert him. “I thought I was the only one sometim, ” Ulrich a iend urged him to place a personal ad the Advote, a gay magaze. By December, they were married the gay-iendly Metropolan Communy didn’t publicly talk about gay rights and uld pass jt like any other whe dus livg Bunceton.

Would stop classifyg homosexualy as a mental and Ulrich cheered and hugged, drawg surprised star. A few days later, the stunt newspaper at the Universy of Missouri got wd that Bunceton had a mayor who might be gay.

OKLAHOMA TOWN'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR RIGNS, CG HARASSMENT

But the Columbia Missourian did for him on May 14, 1980, wh a ont-page story headled: “Bunceton Rints Elect Mayor Who Is a Rpected Homosexual. ”Gay publitns celebrated his electn, wh the Advote llg him an “activist” a profile 1982.

NEVADA’S FIRST GAY MAYORS HAVE EP ROOTS SILVER STATE

”Later on, a whole chapter was voted to Ulrich the 1989 book “In Search of Gay Ameri” by Neil accintal mayor now beme the accintal gay in. “I didn’t want to be a gay activist, ” Ulrich said. ”Ulrich spoke at four or five gay pri events over the s — at one he was h the head by a preacher’s hurled Bible — but otherwise, he stayed news report the Missourian characterized his speech as heartfelt “but disappoted those seekg a new poster child for the gay-rights movement.

”Ined, most mastream portrayals of trailblazg gay men Ulrich’s lifetime didn’t end Robert Ste, a history profsor at San Francis State Universy, mentned Ulrich briefly his book, “Rethkg the Gay and Lbian Movement. ”“I don’t thk he should be nsired a gay activist, ” Ste said.

U.S. REPRENTATIVE BARNEY FRANK COM OUTBARNEY FRANK WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE MASSACHETTS HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1972 AND SERVED UNTIL HIS ELECTN TO THE U.S. HOE OF REPRENTATIV 1980, BUT DID NOT YET PUBLICLY INTIFY AS LGBTQ. AAID THAT G OUT MIGHT HURT HIS REER, FRANK LGERED THE CLOSET UNTIL 1987, WHEN HE BEME THE FIRST MEMBER OF CONGRS TO VOLUNTARILY E OUT PUBLICLY AS LGBTQ+.“FOR MANY YEARS, I WAS ASHAMED OF MYSELF FOR HIDG MY MEMBERSHIP A UNIVERSALLY SPISED GROUP. I’D BEEN AAID OF EXPOSURE, AND ANGRY AT MYSELF FOR MY SELF-NIAL. I’D FELT SHAME AS I WATCHED YOUNGER GAY MEN AND LBIANS NONT THE BIGOTS OPENLY WH A URAGE THAT I LACKED. AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS, LYG TO PEOPLE WAS MUCH EASIER EMOTNALLY THAN FALLY ADMTG MY LIE,” FRANK WROTE POLI ON MARCH 12, 2015, AN EXCERPT OM HIS BOOK, FRANK: A LIFE POLICS OM THE GREAT SOCIETY TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.BUT FRANK RECEIVED UNEXPECTED SUPPORT AND LUXURIATED BEG AN OUT GAY REPRENTATIVE. “I’M ED TO BEG A MORY. HEY, I’M A LEFT-HAND GAY JEW. I’VE NEVER FELT, TOMATILLY, A MEMBER OF ANY MAJORY,” FRANK SAID A NEW YORK TIM MAGAZE TERVIEW FEBARY 4, 1996. WHEN REPUBLIN HOE MAJORY LEAR DICK ARMEY REFERRED TO HIM AS “BARNEY FAG,” FRANK REFED TO ACCEPT THE RIGHT-WGER’S APOLOGY, AND THE SLUR REBOUND ON ARMEY. OVER TIME, FRANK WOULD BEE ONE OF THE MOST FLUENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRS, PLAYG A KEY ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE HOE FANCIAL SERVIC COMMTEE. HE WOULD BE REELECTED 12 TIM.‍JOHN LAIRD ELECTED ONE OF FIRST GAY MAYORS THE U.S.JOHN LAIRD’S LONG REER PUBLIC SERVICE BEGAN 1981 WH A SUCCSFUL RACE FOR THE SANTA CZ CY COUNCIL, WHERE HE SERVED UNTIL 1990. BUT HE WAS PUBLICLY CLOSETED UNTIL 1983, WHEN HE RPOND TO A REPORTER’S QUTN ABOUT HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN BY TELLG THEM HE WAS GAY. LAIRD LATER TOLD “I SAID Y, AND EMBARKED ON AN UNPLANNED MEDIA ROLLER-ASTER RI. I WAS ON THE ONT PAGE OF MOST CALIFORNIA NEWSPAPERS AND MA THE PL HARVEY NEWS. SAN FRANCIS TELEVISN REPORTS REFERRED TO ME AS "AN AVOWED HOMOSEXUAL." AND I WAS VED TO SPEAK AT THE FIFTH MILK/MOSNE NDLELIGHT MARCH.”YET SHORTLY AFTER, FELLOW CY UNCILMEMBERS ELECTED HIM TO A ONE-YEAR TERM AS MAYOR, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE FIRST OUT LGBTQ+ MAYORS U.S. HISTORY. HE WOULD SERVE AGA AS MAYOR OM 1987 TO 1988. IN 2002, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY AND SERVED UNTIL 2008. IN 2020, HE WAS ELECTED TO THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE, MAKG HIM ONE OF THE LONGT SERVG OUT LGBTQ+ ELECTED OFFICIALS.KEY WT MAK HISTORY ELECTG RICHARD HEYMAN

He kissed his hand and placed on each isn’t totally alone, a fact that shows how gay people create chosen 2013, Ulrich adopted Chris Anrson, now his mid-40s, whom he and Fowler helped raise as a teenager when he showed up to work at Ulrich’s factory after a tumultuo childhood. Gwen and Tripod — and the sex toy his likens, bee “you never know if you’ll need , ” he says wh a the cemetery, he looked at the headstone that a lol gay muny group bought him 2015 bee s members worried he wouldn’t be given his flowers notg his history-makg electn before stead mostly ponrs what date will appear that blank space unr his birth date bee “that’ll be the day I hopefully get to fally see Larry aga.

WHAT 'S LIKE BEG AMERI'S FIRST OPENLY GAY ERNOR

At least 843 LGBTQ people currently serve elected offic across the Uned Stat, nstutg a 21 percent crease sce June 2019, acrdg to the LGBTQ Victory Instute’s “Out for Ameri 2020” cens of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer elected officials. “In a world where our civil rights are unr attack, and many are qutng their place the world, the affirmg power of such reprentatn nnot be overstated, ” said Mondaire Jon, who recently won the Democratic nomatn New York’s 17th Congrsnal District and, if elected November, uld be the first openly gay Black man elected to of this crease was driven by what Victory lled a “rabow wave” — a surge LGBTQ ws the 2018 and 2019 electns. The Victory Instute says that orr for LGBTQ people to achieve “equable reprentatn, ” there would need to be 22, 544 more lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people elected LGBTQ polil gas are not evenly distributed.

Senate, three more LGBTQ elected officials would achieve equy (5 senators total) legislatur, on the other hand, lag behd: One-hundred-and-seventy-three LGBTQ people would need to be elected orr to achieve equy, acrdg to Victory’s majory of the 843 LGBTQ officials — 54 percent — are gay men, followed by 30 percent lbians, 6 percent bisexuals and 5 percent queer vast majory of all LGBTQ officials are cisgenr — 94 percent. Ameri’s LGBTQ elected officials are mostly whe — 77 percent — followed by 10 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Black, 2 percent multiracial, 2 percent Asian or Pacific Islanr and ls than 1 percent each for digeno and Middle breakdown may soon change, as two Black gay men nng for Congrs move closer to victory, cludg Jon. “One of the most energizg featur of this mpaign is the sheer volume of msag I have received om members of the LGBTQ muny, young and old, sayg that my ndidacy as an openly gay, Black person has spired them to accept their own inti and live thentic liv, ” Jon said a text msage to NBC News.

“I’m so humbled to be a posn to provi reprentatn that I never had growg up, ” Jon other openly gay Black man nng for Congrs is Rchie Torr, currently the youngt member of the New York Cy Council, who has a strong lead vote returns for the Democratic nomatn New York’s 15th Congrsnal District, which is also overwhelmgly Democratic.

SAN DIEGO'S FIRST GAY MAYOR OF COLOR PLANS TO RHAPE AMERI'S 'FT CY'

)While both Jon and Torr would be the Hoe's first openly gay Black members, they apparently would not be the body’s first gay Black honor is thought to belong to Barbara Jordan of Texas, who 1972 beme the first Black woman to reprent the South Congrs, and 1976 beme the first Black woman to be a keynote speaker at a Democratic Natnal Conventn.

Former Hoton mayor Annise Parker, the first openly gay mayor of a major Amerin cy and is now CEO of Victory Fund, a nonpartisan anizatn supportg LGBTQ ndidat, ld Lightfoot’s victory.

The succs of gay policians plet a rapid change social attus Apr 4th 2019 | SOUTH BEND, INDIANAIT MADE FOR an awkward first-date nversatn. Leaflets also appeared outsi black church warng that Ms Lightfoot would oversee a gay bal cy hall. More appeared terted her posng as an outsir, promis to tackle rptn and her pledge to cut police mayor of Ameri’s third-largt cy she n help to shift perceptns of gay policians some more.

HOTON’S FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR ON HOW THE CY BEME ONE OF AMERI’S MOST DIVERSE: SEASON 2, EPISO 1 OF 'LET’S GO TOGETHER'

She prais Ms Lightfoot’s discipled mpaign and expects the succs will further move “the natnal imagatn”, epeng acceptance of gay policians and givg the cy somethg to cheer. Colorado has a gay ernor, Jared Polis, and Oregon has a lbian one, Kate Brown. Ms Parker timat there are roughly 700 openly gay public officials natnally, cludg two senators and eight members of Congrs (all of them Democrats).

Amerins have had 45 years to get ed to gay people public office. Kathy Kozachenko, a stunt Ann Arbor, Michigan, was the first succsful gay ndidate anywhere, wng a cy uncil seat April 1974.

But opn has shifted quickly more recently, along wh popular acceptance of gay marriage. It amounts to a quiet, wele and probably irreversible turn social Pew Rearch Centre found nearly half (46%) of Amerins were still put off by a ndidate known to be gay 2007, but that fell to jt 26% by 2016 and is probably lower now.