List of the first LGBT holders of political offices

This is a list of political offices which have been held by a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person, with details of the first holder of each office. It should only list people who came out as LGBT before or during their terms in office; it should not list people who came out only after retiring from politics, or people who were outed by reference sources only after their death.

The year in brackets refers to the year which the officeholder was elected as an openly LGBT person. If he or she came out during term of office it is referred to after the year in brackets.

It is ordered by country, by dates of appointment. Former countries are also to be listed.

International bodies

European Union

European Commission

• European Commissioner for Trade: Peter Mandelson – 2004 (British)

European Parliament

• Austria: Ulrike Lunacek – 2009
• Denmark: Torben Lund – 1999–2005
• Germany: Lissy Gröner – 1989
• Italy: Gianni Vattimo – 1999
• Netherlands: Herman Verbeek (PPR) – 1984
• Spain: José María Mendiluce Pereiro (PSOE-later joined the Greens) 1999–2004 – came out 2003
• United Kingdom:
  • Tom Spencer – 1999, came out as gay
  • Nikki Sinclaire – came out in 2004 as lesbian, came out in 2013 as transgender woman

Americas

Argentina

• First gay congressperson: Senator Osvaldo López – 27 July 2011 (married to a man^[1])
• First gay deputy to the Buenos Aires City Legislature: María Rachid – 2011

Bolivia

• First gay congressperson: Manuel Canelas - elected 2014^[2]

Brazil

• First transgender person elected (Alderperson): Kátia Tapety – Colônia do Piauí – 1992
• First transgender vice-mayor: Kátia Tapety – 2004
• First gay congressperson: Federal Deputy Clodovil Hernandes – 2006
• First transgender person elected as Alderperson in a state capital: Leo Kret – Salvador – 2008.^[3]
• First openly LGBT activist congressperson: Federal Deputy Jean Wyllys – 2010^[4]

Canada

Chile

• First transsexual councilmember: Alejandra González - elected 2004^[5]
• First openly gay councilman: Jaime Parada - elected 2012^[6]
• First transgender councilmember: Zuliana Araya - elected 2012
• Chamber of Deputies:
  • Claudio Arriagada – elected 2013
  • Guillermo Ceroni - elected 2013, came out in 2015.^[7]

Colombia

• Cabinet: Cecilia Álvarez-Correa, Minister of Transport 2012–2014, Minister of Trade and Industry since 2014 (came out in 2014)
• Cabinet: Gina Parody, Minister of Education since 2014
• Senate: Claudia López 2014
• House of Representatives: Angélica Lozano Correa – elected 2014
• National Agency: Brigitte Baptiste (trans woman), Director of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Biodiversity

Costa Rica

• House of Representatives: Carmen Muñoz - elected 2010

Cuba

• First transgender person elected to office: Adela Hernandez – 2012^[8]

Ecuador

• Minister of Health: Carina Vance Mafla - elected 2012

El Salvador

• Mayor of Intipucá: Hugo Salinas - elected 2009^[9]

Guatemala

• First lesbian congressperson: Sandra Morán - elected 2015^[10]

Mexico

• Federal Deputy (members of the lower federal chamber):
  • Female: Patria Jiménez – 1997.
  • Male: David Sánchez Camacho – 2006.
• Local Deputy (members of a state congress or the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District):
  • Female: Enoé Uranga – 2000 (Federal District).
  • Male: David Sánchez Camacho – 1997 (Federal District).
• Municipal president (city mayor):
  • Male: Benjamín Medrano Quezada – 2013 (Fresnillo, Zacatecas).

Peru

• First transgender councilmember: Luisa Revilla - elected 2014^[11]
• Member of Congress:
  • Carlos Bruce – elected 2006, came out as gay in 2014. Re-elected from 2016 to 2021
  • Alberto de Belaunde - elected 2016

Puerto Rico

• Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, Maite Oronoz Rodríguez – sworn in 15 July 2014.

United States

Uruguay

• First openly gay member of Government: Andrés Scagliola – 2010, came out in 2011.
• First transgender legislator: Michelle Suárez Bértora - 2014

Venezuela

• National Assembly:
  • First transgender deputy: Tamara Adrián - elected 2015.^[12]
  • First gay deputy: Rosmit Mantilla - elected 2015.^[13]

Europe

Austria

• Member of Parliament: Ulrike Lunacek – 1999

Belgium

• Prime Minister, Elio Di Rupo (PS) (2011, first openly gay man to head a Belgian national government in modern times)
• Member of the Flemish Government, Pascal Smet (SP.A) – came out in 2009
• Member of the Brussels Government
  • Bruno De Lille (Groen)
  • Pascal Smet (SP.A)

Czech Republic

• Member of the Government: Gustáv Slamečka – Minister of Transport (2009–2010)
• Member of the Senate: Václav Fischer (1999–2002)

Denmark

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Yvonne Herløv Andersen – 1998 she was also MP for a few terms during the 1970s and 1980s, but not while openly lesbian.
  • Male: Torben Lund – 1998 came out in February 1998 while still an MP.

Finland

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male Jani Toivola – 2011
  • Female Merikukka Forsius (bisexual) – 1999
  • Male Oras Tynkkynen – 2004
  • Male Pekka Haavisto – 1987
  • Male Reijo Paananen – 2002
  • Female Silvia Modig – 2011
• Leader of a major political party (Green League): Pekka Haavisto 1992
• Member of the Government: Minister of the Environment: Pekka Haavisto – 1995 and Minister for International Development: Pekka Haavisto – 2011

France

• Member of Parliament: André Labarrère^(fr) (1928–2006) – came out 1998^[14]
• Mayor of Paris: Bertrand Delanoë – came out 1998, elected 2001^[15]
• Government Member: Roger Karoutchi, Secretary of State for relations with parliament – came out 2009^[16]

Germany

• Famous Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Herbert Rusche: 1985-1987 (Alliance '90/The Greens)
  • Male: Volker Beck: since 1994 (Alliance '90/The Greens)
  • Female: Helga Schuchard: 1972-1983 (FDP), non-voluntary came out: 1992 (was Minister of Science and Culture in Lower Saxony at that time)
  • Female: Barbara Hendricks: since 1994 (SPD)
• Bundesrat (Federal Council):
  • President: Klaus Wowereit – 2001-2002
  • President: Ole von Beust - 2007-2008
• Leader of a major political party:
  • Guido Westerwelle (FDP) came out 2004, party leader: 2001-2011
• Mayors:
  • Berlin: Klaus Wowereit - 2001
  • Essen: Thomas Kufen - 2015
  • Hamburg: Ole von Beust - 2001
  • Mainz: Michael Ebling - 2012
  • Wiesbaden: Sven Gerich - 2013
• Head of States of Germany:
  • Berlin: Klaus Wowereit (SPD) – 2001-2014
  • Hamburg: Ole von Beust (CDU) – 2001-2010
• Member of Government:
  • Vice Chancellor (2009-2011) and Foreign Minister (2009-2013): Guido Westerwelle (FDP)
  • Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety: Barbara Hendricks (SPD), since 2013

Hungary

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Klára Ungár^(hu) – 1990
• Member of Government:
  • Secretary of State for Human Resources: Gábor Szetey came out 2007

Iceland

• Prime Minister: Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (2009, first openly gay person in the world to be elected head of government)

Ireland

• Mayor
  • Cian O'Callaghan, Mayor of Fingal County Council in 2012
• Minister
  • Male
    • Leo Varadkar (Minister since 2011; came out in 2015^[17])
    • Pat Carey (Minister 2010–11) also came out in 2015, but not during his term of office.^[18]
  • Female
    • Katherine Zappone (Minister since 2016; the first minister to have been openly gay at the time of first appointment to cabinet)
• Member of the Oireachtas (parliament):
  • TD (Member of Dáil):
    • Male:
      • Dominic Hannigan (Meath East) and
      • John Lyons (Dublin North-West) were both out when first elected in 2011;^[19]
      • Pat Carey (Dublin North-West) was elected in 1997 but did not come out until 2015.
    • Female:
      • Katherine Zappone (Dublin South-West) - 2016
  • Senator:
    • Male: David Norris (University of Dublin) – 1987
    • Female: Katherine Zappone (Taoiseach's nominee) – 2011

Isle of Man

• Chief Minister: Allan Bell (2011) Came out 2015.^[20]

Italy

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Angelo Pezzana^(it) – 1979
  • Male: Nichi Vendola – 1992
  • Male: Daniele Capezzone, bisexual – 2006
  • Female: Titti De Simone^(it) – 2001
  • Female: Paola Concia – 2008
  • Transgender: Vladimir Luxuria – 2006
• Member of the government:
  • Minister for Agriculture: Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio – 2000 came out later 2000 – again Minister of Environment in 2006 (bisexual)
• President of Region:
  • President of Apulia: Nichi Vendola – 2005
  • President of Sicily Rosario Crocetta – 2012

Latvia

• Member of Government:
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs: Edgars Rinkēvičs^[21] – 2014

Lithuania

• Member of Parliament: Rokas Žilinskas – 2008^[22]

Luxembourg

• Prime Minister: Xavier Bettel
• Deputy Prime Minister: Etienne Schneider
• Mayor of Luxembourg City: Xavier Bettel

Netherlands

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Coos Huijsen (CHU) – came out 1977 (world's first openly gay MP)
  • Female: Evelien Eshuis^(nl) (CPN) – 1982
• Member of Government:
  • Male: Minister of Economic Affairs: Joop Wijn (CDA) – 2006
  • Male: Minister of Finance: Jan Kees de Jager (CDA) – 2010
  • Female: Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food: Gerda Verburg (CDA) – 2007
  • (note: Ien Dales' (PvdA, Minister of the Interior) sexual orientation was only revealed after her death)

Norway

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Wenche Lowzow – 1977–1985 came out 1979, reelected 1981
  • Male: Anders Hornslien – 1993 – 2001, came out 1994
• Member of Government:
  • Minister of Finance: Per Kristian Foss – 2001–2005
• City council chairman of Oslo: Erling Lae – 2000–2009

Poland

• City councillor, and first openly LGBT holder of any office in Poland: Krystian Legierski – 2010
• First openly gay member of parliament and current Mayor of City Słupsk: Robert Biedroń – 2011^[23] 2014^[24]
• First openly transsexual member of parliament: Anna Grodzka – 2011^[23]

Portugal

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Miguel Vale de Almeida – 2009–2010

Serbia

• State attorney Zagorka Dolovac 2010 –
• Adviser to the Minister of European Integration Boris Milićević 2013 – 2014
• Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Ana Brnabić 2016 -

Slovakia

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Stanislav Fořt – came out 2011

Soviet Union

• People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs: Georgy Chicherin (1918–1930)

Spain

• Member of the Cortes: Ángeles Álvarez Álvarez (PSOE) – Member of the Congress of Deputies since 2011. She came out in 2013.
• Member of the Cortes: Jerónimo Saavedra Acevedo (PSOE) – Has been a member of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate since 1977 until 2004 with some interruptions – came out 2000
• Autonomic President: Jeronimo Saavedra Acevedo, President of the Canary Islands 1983–1987 and 1991–1993
• Member of Government:
  • Minister of Public Administrations and of Education and Science: Jerónimo Saavedra (Public Administrations, 1993–1995 and of Education and Science 1995–1996)
• Mayor of a Provincial Capital: Jerónimo Saavedra, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Incumbent since 2007
• Mayor of an Autonomic Capital: Javier Maroto (PP), Vitoria-Gasteiz Incumbent 2011-2015 - Member of Basque Parliament since 2012, Sectorial Under-secretary of the Spanish People's Party since 2015
• Transgender town councillor: Manuela Trasobares (ARDE) 2007 – at Geldo, Castellon

Autonomous regional parliament members

• Minister of Health of Catalonia: Antoni Comín i Oliveres (Together for Yes)
• Minister of Culture of Catalonia: Santi Vila (Together For Yes - CDC)
• Member of the Parliament of Catalonia when openly gay: Miquel Iceta PSC, since 1999
• Member of the Basque Parliament: Iñaki Oyarzábal, elected 1996, Secretary General of the Spanish People's Party of the Basque Country, 2008–2014
• Member of the Assembly of Extremadura: Víctor Casco, come out 2014
• Member of the Assembly of Madrid: Carla Antonelli, transsexual woman and LGBT rights activist who was instrumental in the approval of the Spanish Gender Identity Law.

Sweden

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Kent Carlsson (s) – came out 1991, died in 1993
  • Female: Elisebeht Markström (s) – came out publicly in 2006
• Member of Government:
  • Minister of the Environment: Andreas Carlgren (c) – 2006
  • Minister of Migration Affairs: Tobias Billström (m) – 2006 (bisexual)

Switzerland

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Claude Janiak – elected 1999 – speaker of House of Representatives 2006
  • Female: Doris Stump – elected 2003
  • President of the National Council: Claude Janiak – 2005/2006
• Cantonal Governments:
  • Male: Martin Klöti – elected 2012 – Member of the Executive Council of St. Gallen
  • Male: Bernhard Pulver – elected 2006 – Member of the Executive Council of Bern
• Mayor of a large city:
  • Female: Corine Mauch – elected 2009 – Mayor of Zurich (largest city in Switzerland), first openly gay mayor of a large Swiss city

United Kingdom

Africa

South Africa

• Member of Parliament: Mike Waters – 1999
• Cabinet minister: Lynne Brown – 2014^[25]
• Provincial Premier: Lynne Brown – 2009
• High Court Judge: Edwin Cameron – 1995
• Constitutional Court Justice: Edwin Cameron – 2008

Asia

Hong Kong

• Legislative Council Member (Gay Male): Raymond Chan Chi-chuen – 2012

India

• First transgender person to be elected to public office: Shabnam Mausi was an elected member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2003.
• First transgender mayor of a city: Madhu Bai Kinnar was elected as the mayor of Raigarh, Chhattisgarh on 4 January 2015.^{[26][27][28][29]}

Israel

• Members of Knesset (Parliament):
  • Uzi Even (elected 2003)
  • Nitzan Horowitz (elected 2008)
  • Itzik Shmuli (elected 2013)
  • Amir Ohana (elected 2015)
• City councillors:
  • Tel-Aviv: Michal Eden (Lesbian, elected 1998), Itai Pinkas (first gay man; elected 2003), Yaniv Weizman (elected 2008)
  • Jerusalem: Saar Nathaniel (elected 2003)

Japan

• Member of the Diet, Upper House (Lesbian): Kanako Otsuji – 2013

Osaka

• Prefectural assembly member (Lesbian): Kanako Otsuji – 2005

Tokyo

• Ward councillor (Transgender): Aya Kamikawa (Setagaya) – 2003
• Ward councillor (Gay male): Taiga Ishikawa (Toshima) and Wataru Ishizaka (Nakano) – both elected 2011

Nepal

• Constituent Assembly Member: Sunil Babu Pant – 2008

Philippines

• Municipality of Leyte, Leyte Province Mayor (Gay Male): Arnold James Ysidoro 1998–2004; 2010
• Municipality of Palapag, Northern Samar(2013); Board Member of 2nd District of Northern Samar Province (2013–2016) (Transgender Woman): Florencio "Fawa" Abobo Batula
• City Councilor of Mandaue City (1998–2007); Board Member of Gth District of Cebu Province (2007–2010) (Gay Male): Wenceslao Gakit
• City Councilor of Pasay City (1980s) (Gay Male):Panfilo C Justo/ Justo Justo
• Barangay Capitan of Angeles IV, Tayabas, Quezon Province (2001) (Trans woman):Ruvic Rea
• House of Representatives (2016) (Trans woman): Geraldine Roman

Taiwan

• Minister without Portfolio (2016) (Trans woman): Audrey Tang (World's first)

Oceania

Australia

Guam

• Member of Legislature: Benjamin Cruz – 2004
• Supreme Court Justice: Benjamin Cruz – 1997, Chief Justice 1999–2001 (came out 1995)

New Zealand

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Marilyn Waring (National) 1975–1984 (outed during office)
  • Female: Maryan Street (Labour) 2005–2014 (outed before office)
  • Female: Louisa Wall (Labour) 2011-Current
  • Male: Chris Carter (Labour) 1993–2011
  • Transsexual: Georgina Beyer (Labour) 1999–2007 (world's first)
• Cabinet Minister:
  • Male: Minister of Conservation, Minister of Ethnic Affairs, Minister of Local Government, Minister for Building Issues, Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office: Chris Carter (Labour) 2002-8
  • Female: Minister of Housing and Minister of ACC: Maryan Street (Labour) 2007-8
• Transsexual mayor: Georgina Beyer (Labour) 1995–1999 (world's first)

See also

• List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender firsts by year

References