List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender firsts by year
Encyclopedia
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
(LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) firsts by year denotes pioneers in various endeavors organized chronologically. Openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
LGBT people remain a demographic
Demographic profile
A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment...
minority in most cultures. In areas that historically are not known for having (or being friendly to) LGBT people who do not remain closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
, a "first" can make it easier for other openly LGBT persons to enter the field or for those who are closeted to come out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
. Openly LGBT people being visible in society affects societal attitudes toward homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism on a wider level.
One commonly cited example is Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
, the first openly gay person to be elected to political office in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, becoming the most visible LGBT politician in the world in the 1970s after decades of resistance to LGBT people by mainstream culture. Milk encouraged LGBT people to come out during his speeches. As a result of his work and assassination along with San Francisco mayor George Moscone
Moscone-Milk assassinations
The Moscone–Milk assassinations were the killings of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who were shot and killed in San Francisco City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White on November 27, 1978...
, thousands of ordinary people did. In 2002, Milk was called "the most famous and most significantly open LGBT official ever elected in the United States".
1924
- Society for Human Rights — First gay rights organization in the United States. Published Friendship and Freedom, the first American gay publication.
1947
- Vice VersaVice Versa (magazine)Subtitled "America's Gayest Magazine", Vice Versa is the earliest known U.S. periodical published especially for lesbians, as well as the earliest extant example of the lesbian and gay press in that country....
— First lesbian-interest publication in the United States.
1961
- José SarriaJosé SarriaJosé Julio Sarria is an American political activist from San Francisco, California. Known for his years of performing at the historic Black Cat Bar in that city from the 1950s and 1960s, Sarria entertained patrons with satirical versions of popular songs and operas while encouraging them to live...
— first openly gay person to run for public office in the United States (San Francisco city supervisor).
1967
- Craig RodwellCraig RodwellCraig L. Rodwell was an American gay rights activist known for founding the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop on November 24, 1967, the first bookstore devoted to gay and lesbian authors and as the prime mover for the creation of the New York City pride demonstration...
opens the Oscar Wilde Memorial BookstoreOscar Wilde BookshopThe Oscar Wilde Bookshop was the first bookstore devoted to gay and lesbian authors. It was founded by Craig Rodwell in 1967 as the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop. Initially located at 291 Mercer Street, it moved in 1973 to Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York, United States...
, the first bookstore devoted to gay and lesbian authors.
1974
- Kathy KozachenkoKathy KozachenkoIn April 1974, Kathy Kozachenkos successful bid for a seat on the Ann Arbor, Michigan city council made her the first openly gay or lesbian candidate to run successfully for political office in the United States....
— first openly gay or lesbian candidate to win public office in the United States (won a seat on the Ann Arbor, Michigan, city council)
1974
- Allan SpearAllan SpearAllan Henry Spear was an American politician and educator from Minnesota who served almost thirty years in the Minnesota Senate, including nearly a decade as President of the Senate.-Biography:...
- served almost thirty years in the Minnesota Senate, including nearly a decade as President of the Senate.
1975
- Elaine NobleElaine NobleElaine Noble is an American politician and LGBT activist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for two terms starting in January 1975. She was the first openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a state legislature...
— first openly gay or lesbian candidate elected to a state legislature in the United States (Massachusetts commonwealth legislature)
1978
- Harvey MilkHarvey MilkHarvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
— first openly gay or lesbian candidate elected to political office in California; first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States - San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band and Twirling CorpSan Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom BandThe San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band is a community-based concert and marching band in San Francisco. It is the official band of San Francisco. Founded in 1978, it was the first gay-oriented musical organization in the world. The band promotes visibility and musical education for the Bay...
— world's first openly-gay musical group
1979
- Stephen LachsStephen LachsStephen M. Lachs served as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 1979 to 1999. He was the first openly gay judge appointed in the United States and is thought to be the first openly gay judge appointed anywhere in the world.-Early life and education:Lachs received a B.A. from the...
— first openly gay judge appointed in the United States (Los Angeles County Superior Court)
1980
- David McReynoldsDavid McReynoldsDavid McReynolds is an American democratic socialist and pacifist activist who described himself as "a peace movement bureaucrat" during his 40-year career with Liberation magazine and the War Resisters League...
— first openly gay man to run for president of the United States
1981
- Mary C. MorganMary C. MorganMary Carolyn Morgan is a judge of the San Francisco County Superior Court and former judge of the San Francisco Municipal Court. She was the first openly lesbian judge appointed in the United States.-Early life and education:...
— first openly lesbian judge appointed in the United States (San Francisco Municipal Court) - Ien DalesIen DalesCatharina Isabella "Ien" Dales was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party .- References :...
- first lesbian member of the cabinet of the NetherlandsCabinet of the NetherlandsThe cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Rutte cabinet.-Composition and role:...
1983
- Gerry StuddsGerry StuddsGerry Eastman Studds was an American Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts who served from 1973 until 1997. He was the first openly gay member of Congress in the U.S. In 1983 he was censured by the House of Representatives after he admitted to having had an affair with a 17-year-old page in...
— first openly gay member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Admitted a past relationship with a pageUnited States House of Representatives PageUnited States House of Representatives Page Program was a program run by the United States House of Representatives, under the office of the Clerk of the House, in which appointed high school juniors acted as non-partisan federal employees in the House of Representatives, providing supplemental...
when confronted in Congress.
1984
- Chris SmithChris Smith, Baron Smith of FinsburyChristopher "Chris" Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury PC is a British Labour Party politician, and a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister...
— first openly gay MP in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
1987
- Barney FrankBarney FrankBarney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
— first U.S. congressman to come outComing outComing out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay of his own volition.
- David Norris — first openly gay elected senator in the Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
1988
- Svend RobinsonSvend RobinsonSvend Robinson is a former Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004, representing the suburban Vancouver-area constituency of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party...
— first Canadian Member of ParliamentCanadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
to come out
1989
- Glen Murray — first out gay man elected to a City Council in Canada having not previously held office. Fort Rouge Ward Winnipeg, Canada
1990
- Justin FashanuJustin FashanuJustinus Soni "Justin" Fashanu was an English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. He was known by his early clubs to be homosexual, and came out to the press later in his career, to become the first professional footballer to be openly gay...
— first professional Football (Soccer) player to identify himself publicly as gay.
1994
- Deborah BattsDeborah BattsDeborah A. Batts is a United States federal judge, currently serving on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In June 1994, Deborah Batts was sworn in as a Federal District Judge for Manhattan, becoming the nation's first openly LGBT, African-American federal judge...
— first openly gay or lesbian United States federal judgeUnited States federal judgeIn the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
(United States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New YorkThe United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is a federal district court. Appeals from the Southern District of New York are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case...
)
1995
- Georgina BeyerGeorgina BeyerGeorgina Beyer was the world's first openly transsexual mayor, as well as the world's first openly transsexual Member of Parliament, and from 27 November 1999 until 14 February 2007 was an MP for the Labour Party in New Zealand.-Early life:Georgina Bertrand was born and assigned male at birth, and...
— world's first transgender mayor (Carterton DistrictCarterton, New ZealandCarterton is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District. It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. It is located southwest of Masterton and northeast of Wellington...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) - Rachel MaddowRachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
— first openly gay or lesbian American to win an international Rhodes scholarshipRhodes ScholarshipThe Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
. - Harvey BrownstoneHarvey Brownstone-Early life and education:Brownstone was born on July 24, 1956 in Paris, France, and was raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He attended Scott Park Secondary School and received his LL.B...
— first openly gay or lesbian judge appointed in Canada (Ontario Court of JusticeOntario Court of JusticeThe Ontario Court of Justice is a Provincial Court for the Canadian province of Ontario. This court oversees matters relating to family law and criminal law....
)
1996
- Michael Kirby — first openly gay judge of the High Court of AustraliaHigh Court of AustraliaThe High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
(appointed February 1996; named his male partner in his 1999 entry in "Who's Who in Australia") - Bob BrownBob BrownRobert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
— first openly gay member of the Parliament of AustraliaParliament of AustraliaThe Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
(elected March, his term started July) - South Africa — first country to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution
1997
- Ellen DeGeneresEllen DeGeneresEllen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
— first openly gay star of a prime-time television series in the United States. DeGeneres was star of the situation comedy EllenEllen (TV series)Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.The theme song, "So Called Friend" is by Scottish band Texas...
. In 1997, she came out as a lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
on The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
. Shortly afterwards, her TV series character Ellen Morgan also came out as gay in the fourth-season episode "The Puppy EpisodeThe Puppy Episode"The Puppy Episode" is a two-part episode of the situation comedy television series Ellen. The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out. It was the 22nd and 23rd episode of the series' 4th season...
".
1998
- Dana InternationalDana InternationalSharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...
— first transsexual to win the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. - Glen Murray — first out gay man to be elected mayor of a major city in the world. Winnipeg 700,000 people capital of Manitoba.
1999
- Tammy BaldwinTammy BaldwinTammy Suzanne Green Baldwin is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, serving since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In September 2011, Baldwin announced she would be a candidate in the 2012 U.S...
— first U.S. congressperson of either gender to be openly gay or lesbian when first elected to office - Georgina BeyerGeorgina BeyerGeorgina Beyer was the world's first openly transsexual mayor, as well as the world's first openly transsexual Member of Parliament, and from 27 November 1999 until 14 February 2007 was an MP for the Labour Party in New Zealand.-Early life:Georgina Bertrand was born and assigned male at birth, and...
— first transsexual Member of Parliament (elected in 27 November New Zealand general electionNew Zealand general election, 1999The 1999 New Zealand general election was held on 27 November 1999 to determine the composition of the 46th New Zealand Parliament. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Jenny Shipley, was defeated, being replaced by a coalition of Helen Clark's Labour Party and the smaller Alliance...
; representing the Wairarapa electorateWairarapa (New Zealand electorate)Wairarapa is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It was first created in 1859 and existed until 1881. It was recreated in 1887 and has since existed continuously...
) - Stephen BradyStephen BradyStephen Brady, CVO is a senior Australian career diplomat. In 1999 he and his partner Peter Stephens became the world's first officially acknowledged gay ambassadorial couple, when they were presented to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at the start of Brady's posting as Australian Ambassador to...
and his partner Peter Stephens – world's first openly gay ambassadorial couple; accompanied by Stephens, Brady presented his credentials as AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Ambassador to DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, to Queen Margrethe II on 15 February 1999 - James HormelJames HormelJames Catherwood Hormel is an American philanthropist and grandson of George A. Hormel, founder of Hormel Foods .-Early years:Hormel was born in Austin, Minnesota. He earned a B.A...
— first openly gay United States ambassador (sworn in June 1999)
2001
- Libby DaviesLibby DaviesLibby Davies is a Canadian Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party , representing the riding of Vancouver East in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2007, she was named Deputy Leader of the federal NDP, jointly with Thomas Mulcair.-Background:Davies was born in Aldershot, England and...
— first female Canadian Member of ParliamentCanadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
to come out as a member of the LGBT community - Klaus WowereitKlaus WowereitKlaus Wowereit is a German politician, member of the SPD , and has been the Mayor of Berlin since the 2001 state elections, where his party won a plurality of the votes, 29.7%. He served as President of the Bundesrat in 2001/02. His SPD-led coalition was re-elected in the 2006 elections...
— first elected mayor of BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
as an openly gay German - Bertrand DelanoëBertrand DelanoëBertrand Delanoë is a French politician, and has been the mayor of Paris since 2001. He is member of the Socialist Party . Delanoë was born in Tunis, Tunisia to a French-Tunisian father and a French mother...
— first openly gay person to be elected mayor of ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... - NetherlandsSame-sex marriage in the NetherlandsSame-sex marriage has been legal in the Netherlands since 1 April 2001...
— first country to legally recognize same-sex marriageSame-sex marriageSame-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
.
2002
- Pim FortuynPim FortuynWilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
— the first openly gay candidate for Prime Minister of the NetherlandsPrime Minister of the NetherlandsThe Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
, assassinated nine days before election day.
2003
- Ang LadladAng LadladLADLAD is a Filipino lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender political party. It was founded on 21 September 2003, and is founded by Danton Remoto, Associate Professor of English at Ateneo de Manila University.The organization's thrust is toward human rights, and the organization is fighting for...
— the first lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) political party - David CicillineDavid CicillineDavid Nicola Cicilline is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is formerly the Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, and was the first openly gay mayor of a U.S. state capital.-Early life, education, and career:...
— first openly gay mayor of a U.S. state capital (Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
) - Gene RobinsonGene RobinsonVicki Gene Robinson is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004...
— first openly gay person to be ordained bishop in a major Christian denomination
2004
- Bill SiksayBill SiksayWilliam Livingstone Siksay, former MP is a Canadian politician, and was the Member of Parliament who represented the British Columbia riding of Burnaby—Douglas for the New Democratic Party from 2004 to 2011.Receiving his high school diploma from McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute in...
— first openly gay Canadian elected to a first term as Member of ParliamentCanadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament... - Felipe "Alejandra" González Pino — First transgender councilman in ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
(LampaLampa, ChileLampa is a Chilean commune and city in the Chacabuco province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. Lampa is situated near the Chicauma mountain range, part of which was added to the La Campana National Park.-Demographics:...
commune) - Oras TynkkynenOras TynkkynenOras Tynkkynen is a Member of the Parliament of Finland, representing the Green League. He served as the Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen's Advisor on Climate Policy. Also Tynkkynen is a Member of the City Council of Tampere and environmental activist. He has also held positions in numerous other...
— first openly gay member of parliament in FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Initially appointed as a replacement for an MP who stepped down, was elected to his seat in 2007.
2005
- Bonnie Bleskachek — first openly lesbian fire chief of a major metropolitan area in the United States (Minneapolis)
2007
- Jenny BaileyJenny BaileyJenny Bailey is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was the civic leader of Cambridge City Council in Cambridge, England. Bailey served her mayoral term from 2007-2008. Bailey became a member of the city council in 2002, when she was elected to represent the suburb of East Chesterton within...
— the first transgender mayor in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - Theresa SparksTheresa SparksTheresa Sparks is the Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and was a candidate for San Francisco Supervisor for District 6 in the November 2010 election. She is a former president of the San Francisco Police Commission and former CEO of Good Vibrations...
— first transgender police commissioner (San Francisco).
2008
- Rachel MaddowRachel MaddowRachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
— first openly gay or lesbian anchor of a major prime-time news program in the United States, hosting The Rachel Maddow ShowThe Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
on U.S. cable network MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
.
2009
- Lesbian and Gay Band AssociationLesbian and Gay Band AssociationLesbian and Gay Band Association is an international musical organization of concert bands and marching bands. LGBA was formed in 1982 as "Lesbian and Gay Bands of America" when seven independent lesbian and gay bands met formally in Chicago....
— first LGBT-represented contingent marching in a U.S. presidential inaugural parade. The parade on January 20 was in celebration of Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's incoming administration. - Jared PolisJared PolisJared Schutz Polis is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
— first male U.S. congressperson to be openly gay when first elected to office - Stu RasmussenStu RasmussenStu Rasmussen is an American politician. He was reported to be the nation's first openly transgender mayor when he was elected as the mayor of Silverton, Oregon in November 2008. He had previously been elected twice in the 1990s as mayor of this Willamette Valley community, before coming out as...
— first openly transgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
elected mayor in the United States (Silverton, OregonSilverton, OregonSilverton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 7,414 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
) - Jóhanna SigurðardóttirJóhanna SigurðardóttirJóhanna Sigurðardóttir , , is the Prime Minister of Iceland. Many years a politician, she was previously Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security from 1987–1994 and 2007–2009. She has been a member of the Althing for Reykjavík constituencies since 1978, winning re-election on eight...
— Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, and the first openly gayGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
head of governmentHead of governmentHead of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
in modern times - Carol Ann DuffyCarol Ann DuffyCarol Ann Duffy, CBE, FRSL is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is Professor of Contemporary Poetry at the Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Britain's poet laureate in May 2009...
— first openly gay Poet LaureatePoet LaureateA poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
of the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - Alejandro Freyre and José María di Bello — first gay marriage in Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. - Gareth ThomasGareth Thomas (rugby player)Gareth Thomas , known as Alfie, is a retired Welsh professional rugby footballer who played rugby league for the Crusaders RL in the Super League. He also previously played rugby union for the Cardiff Blues and as a fullback, wing or centre.On 26 May 2007, Thomas surpassed Gareth Llewellyn as the...
— first openly gay professional rugby player still playing the game.
2010
- Annise ParkerAnnise ParkerAnnise Danette Parker is an American politician and the mayor of Houston since January 2, 2010. She served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from 1998 to 2003 and city controller from 2004 to 2009...
— first openly gay mayor of a major (population over 1 million) U.S. city (Houston) - Sharon LubinskiSharon LubinskiSharon Lubinski is the United States Marshal for the District of Minnesota. Lubinski is the first openly gay United States Marshal.-Early life and education:...
— first openly gay United States Marshal - Steven DaviesSteven DaviesSteven Michael Davies is an English cricketer, a wicket-keeper-batsman who currently plays for Surrey. A stylish and aggressive left-handed batsman who can open the batting in both first-class and limited-overs cricket...
- first openly gay international cricketer
2011
- Dominic HanniganDominic HanniganDominic Hannigan is an Irish Labour Party politician and a member of Dáil Éireann. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Meath East constituency at the 2011 Irish general election, having previously served in the 23rd Seanad from 2007–11.- Early and personal life :Hannigan was born in...
and John LyonsJohn Lyons (Dublin politician)John Lyons is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North West constituency at the 2011 general election...
— first openly gay members of Dáil ÉireannDáil ÉireannDáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
. - Anna GrodzkaAnna GrodzkaAnna Grodzka is a Polish politician. Grodzka was elected to the Sejm in the 2011 Polish parliamentary elections as a candidate for the liberal Palikot's Movement. She is the first ever transsexual MP in European history....
- first transgender member of Polish Parliament and European history.http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ap-interview-transsexual-lawmaker-speaks-14752385 - Ruth DavidsonRuth DavidsonRuth Davidson is a politician, former BBC journalist and the current leader of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party...
- first openly gay leader of a major British political party
See also
- Timeline of LGBT historyTimeline of LGBT historyThe following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender related history.-9660 to 5000 BC:* Mesolithic rock art in Sicily depicts phallic male figures in pairs that have been interpreted variously, including as depictions of homosexual intercourse.-7000 to 1700 BC:*Among the sexual...
- List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
- List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender sportspeople
- List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people
- List of transgender people
- List of LGBT rights activists