Chronology for Out and Elected in the USA

Back to: Out and Elected in the USA: 1974-2004

This chronological listing of elected officials is arranged by the year they were elected to their first office held, which is noted, then alphabetically within state. Many have subsequently been elected to other offices and these are detailed on their individual pages.

All dates of elections occurred in November unless otherwise indicated.

1961

California

• Sarria, José, First openly gay person to run for elected office in the US, San Francisco – bid was unsuccessful

1974

Massachusetts

• Noble, Elaine (D), State Representative, 6th District, Boston

1976

Minnisota

• Spear, Allan (D), came out in 1974, re-elected State Senator, 60th District

1977

California

• Milk, Harvey, Board of Supervisors, San Francisco

1978

New Hampshire

• Trombly, Rick (D), State House of Representatives, Boscawen

1979

New Hampshire

• Splaine, Jim (D), came out in 1979 after service on City Council, elected to School Board, Portsmouth

1980

California

• Lachs, Stephen, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Los Angeles, June

1982

New York

• Duane, Thomas (D), Democratic District Leader

1984

Massachusetts

• Studds, Gerry E. (D), outed in 1983, re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives 10th District, Boston

1985

California

• Laird, John (D), City Council, Santa Cruz

New York

• Mains, Tim, Council Member at-Large, Rochester

1986

Louisiana

• Batson, Roberts, Orleans Perish Democratic Executive Committee, February

New Hampshire

• Buckley, Raymond (D), State Representative Ward 8, Manchester

Wisconsin

• Baldwin, Tammy (D), Dane County Board of Supervisors, Madison, April

1987

California

• Brougham, Tom, Director, Peralto Community College District Board, April

North Carolina

• Herzenberg, Joe, came out gradually 1981-85, elected Town City Council, Chapel Hill

1988

California

• Katz, Leslie, San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee

Massachusetts

• Frank, Barney (D), came out in 1987, re-elected to the U.S. Representative, 4th Congressional District, Boston

Washington

• Anderson, Cal (D), House of Representatives, District 42, Seattle

1989

New York

• St. John, Keith, Common Council Alderman 2nd Ward, Albany

1990

California

• Achtenberg, Roberta, Board of Supervisors, San Francisco

• Ammiano, Tom, School Board, San Francisco

• Giuliano, Neil (R), City Council, Tempe

• Hahn, Kenneth, Los Angeles County Assessor, Los Angeles County

• Migden, Carole (D), Board of Supervisors, San Francisco

Maine

• McCormick, Dale, State Senate

New York

• Glick, Deborah (D), Assemblymember District 66, New York City

1991

California

• Horton, Jeff, Los Angeles Board of Education President, Los Angeles

Texas

• Maxey, Glen (D), State Representative, District 51, March Special Election

Washington

• Harris, Sherry, Council Member At-Large, Seattle

1992

California

• Yeager, Ken, San Jose/Evergreen Community College Trustee

New Mexico

• Liz Stephanics (D), State Senate District 39

Oregon

• Brown, Kate (D), House of Representatives, District 13, Portland

South Carolina

• Schwacke, David (R), Solicitor 9th Circuit, Charleston

Vermont

• Flanagan, Edward (D), State Auditor, Burlington

1993

California

• Kehoe, Christine (D), City Council, San Diego

Maryland

• Williams, Bruce, City Council, Tacoma Park

Massachusetts

• Higgins, Mary Clare, City Council, Northampton

• Reeves, Kenneth, came out December 1992, re-elected to the City Council, Cambridge

• Triatanfillou, Katherine, City Council, Cambridge

Michigan

• Kolb, Chris (D), City Council, Ann Arbor

• Cuthbert, Pam, City Council, Ward 3, Ypsilanti, April

New York

• Shafer, Marilyn, Manhattan Civil Court Judge

• Stewart, Daniel (R), City Council, Plattsburgh

North Carolina

• Nelson, Michael, Board of Alderman, Carrboro

1994

California

• Dumanis, Bonnie (R), Municipal Court Judge, Dan Diego

• Kuehl, Sheila (D), State Assembly, District 41, Santa Monica

• Leal, Susan, Board of Supervisors, San Francisco

• Pettis, Gregory, City of Cathedral County

Illinois

• Chiola, Tom, Cook County Circuit Court Judge, Chicago

New Hampshire

• DeChane, Marlene (D), State Representative District 6, Barrington

New Mexico

• Bushee, Patti, City Council, Santa Fe

Oregon

• Carpenter, Chuck (R), State Representative District 7, Portland

• Eighmey, George (D), State Representative

• Gernant, David, Multnomah County District Court Judge

Washington D.C.

• Sojourner, Sabrina (D), At-Large Seat, Central Democratic Committee, May

Wisconsin

• Gunderson, Steve (R), outed in 1994,

re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives

1995

California

• Zeidler, Zeke, Redondo Beach School Board, March

Connecticut

• Zemo, Stephen, Town of Ridgefield Selectman

Florida

• Leban, Mark, Dade County Court Judge, January

Iowa

• Crews, Bill, came out in 1993, re-elected Mayor, City of Melbourne

New York

• Kavanaugh, Barbra, City Council, Buffalo

• Lopez, Margarita, Female Democratic District Leader, 63rd Assembly District (B), New York, September

Rhode Island

• Cicillini, David, House of Representatives, Providence

Washington

• Moeller, Jim (D), City Council, Vancouver

• Podlodowski, Tina, City Council Member, Seattle

Wisconsin

• Verveer, Mike, Common Council, Madison, April

1996

Arizona

• Kolbe, Jim (R), came out July 1996, re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 5th Congressional District, Tucson

California

• McCarthy, Kevin, Superior Court Judge, San Francisco

• Owens, Juanita, President Board of Education, San Francisco

• Radulovich, Tom, Bay Area Rapid Transit District Board, San Francisco

• Tsenin, Kay, Municipal Court Judge, San Francisco

Florida

• Leban, Mark, Dade County Court Judge, September

Illinois

• Patti, Sebastian, Cook County Circuit Court Judge

• McKeon, Lawrence (D), State House of Representatives, 34th District, Chicago

Maine

• Powers, Judy (D), State Representative

New York

• Robinson, Doug, School Board District 2, New York

• Sauer, Larry, School Board District 3, New York

Rhode Island

• Pisaturo, Michael (D), State Representative 21st District, Cranston

Texas

• Frasier, Margo, Sheriff of Travis County, Austin

Washington

• Murray, Ed (D), House of Representatives 43rd District, Seattle

1997

Arizona

• May, Steve (R), State Representative, 26th District, Phoenix

California

• Weinberger, Bill, Charter Commission, Los Angeles, June

Georgia

• Woolard, Cathy, Atlanta City Council, District 6

New Mexico

• Siegle, Linda, Santa Fe Community College Board of Trustees

New York

• Conti, Richard, City Council, Albany

• Quinn, Christine, Speaker, City Council, New York

• Reed, Phil, City Council Member District 8, New York

Ohio

• Escobar, Louis, City Council President, Toledo

• Wiseman, Mary, City Council Member, Dayton

Pennsylvania

• McGill, Jim, Borough Council Member 2nd Ward, Wilkinsburg

Texas

• Parker, Annise, City Council Member At-Large Position 1, Houston, December

Texas

• Loza, John (R), City Councilmember District 12, Dallas, May

Virginia

• Fisette, Jay, Arlington County Board Member, Arlington

Washington, D.C.

• Catania, David, At-Large Councilmember, December Special Election

1998

California

• del Moral, Rosalinda, Democratic Executive Committee 13th District, San Francisco, June

Connecticut

• Mantilla, Evelyn (D), came out in June 1997, re-elected to the State House of Representatives, District 4, Hartford

Maryland

• Stradauskas, Anne, Baltimore County Sheriff

Massachusetts

• Barrios, Jarrett (D), State Representative, District 28, Middlesex

• Malia, Liz (D), State Representative, 11th Suffolk, March

New Hampshire

• Mitchell, McKim (D), State Representative District 3, Chesterfield

Utah

• Biskupski, Jackie (D), State Representative District 30, Salt Lake City

Washington, D.C.

• Graham, Jim, Councilmember Ward 1

1999

Florida

• Arnold, Diane, Broward County Dem. Exec. Committee, May

New York

• Sklarz, Melissa, Democratic Council, New York, September

Wisconsin

• Sloan, Matt, Common Council, Madison, April

2000

Florida

• Lee, Robert, Broward County Court Judge, September

• Wiscombe, Randy G., City Council, South Miami

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