-
(#1) Tammy Baldwin
- 57
In 1998, Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay member of the United States Congress. In 2012, she became the first openly gay member elected to the Senate. She has fought for equality, college affordability, veterans support, and many more issues in her career as a politician.
-
(#2) Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
- 76
Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is the first openly LGBTQ person to lead a national government in the world. After decades in politics, she was elected as Prime Minister in 2009. LGBTQ rights and social justice were at the heart of her legacy.
-
(#3) Angela Davis
- 75
Civil rights activist and politician Angela Davis publicly confirmed that she is a lesbian in the 1990s.
-
(#4) Annise Parker
- 62
Houston Mayor Annise Parker is the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city. "I was a gay and lesbian activist in my college days, so that’s always been part of my acknowledgment of the world,” said Parker in an interview. “What is different as mayor is I’m not a spokesperson for the community. I am the public face and voice of the citizens of Houston. I just happen to be a lesbian when I’m doing it.”
-
(#5) Barbara Jordan
- 61
Civil rights leader Barbara Jordan was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972-1978. It was reported that Jordan was a lesbian following her death.
-
(#6) Paula Aboud
- 68
Arizona State Senator Paula Aboud got involved in politics to protect the civil rights of lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
-
(#7) Linda Bellos
- 68
British politician Linda Bellos said, "I think that some of the mess we’re in, in the LGBT community, exists among the feminist lesbians who are anti-trans. Seems to me, they’re not all, but some women remain disrespectful, hostile particularly to male-female trans people and I find that repugnant. There’s not a milder word I can use."
-
(#8) Betty Baxter
- 67
Betty Baxter was fired as the head coach of the Canadian national volleyball team after the media reported that she was a lesbian in 1982. She went on to become the chair of the NDP Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual caucus in 1997.
-
(#9) Denise Andrews
- 60
Massachusetts Representative Denise Andrews is openly gay. She is a Democrat representing the 2nd Franklin district.
-
(#10) Vera Bergkamp
- 47
Dutch politician Vera Bergkamp is also involved with COC Netherlands, the oldest LGBTQ advocacy group in the world.
-
(#11) Toni Atkins
- 56
Toni Atkins is a member of the California Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender caucus. She resides in San Diego with her spouse, Jennifer LeSar. Along with fighting for the LGBTQ community, Atkins also advocates for protecting wildlife, helping small businesses, and protecting veterans.
-
(#12) Ruth Davidson
- 40
"I was very open about my sexuality when I stood for the leadership — probably rather defensively, although I had nothing to be defensive about," said Scottish politician Ruth Davidson.
-
(#13) Julia Boseman
North Carolina State Senator Julia Boseman advocates for LGBTQ rights. "People automatically assume things about you because you're gay – like you're going to raise taxes through the roof because you're liberal," she said. "You want everything that's considered liberal. Actually, we care about all the same things as other people – getting a good education, roads, where's the guy who's picking up my trash."
-
(#14) Marcia Freedman
- 80
American-Israeli politician Marcia Freedman is the first openly lesbian Knesset member. She said, "The subject then was very closed, non-existent. I had to hide this from my family and hold parties behind closed shutters. In the 1970s very few women dared to admit to being lesbians and the same was true among men."
-
(#15) Beth Bye
After Connecticut approved marriage equality, politician Beth Bye said, "I'm grateful that this bill provides the respect and dignity that all marriages in Connecticut deserve."
-
(#16) Kelly Cassidy
Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy has won awards from the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.
-
(#17) Kathleen Maltzahn
- 52
Australian politician Kathleen Maltzahn uses her position to fight for equality for everyone.
-
(#18) Cathy Connolly
- 62
Cathy Connolly has been an LGBTQ advocate since since joining the Wyoming State House in 2009. Recently, she has been advising the governor on bathroom issues for trans students.
-
(#19) Heather Giugni
Heather Giugni served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2012-2013.
-
(#20) Wenche Lowzow
- 92
Wenche Lowzow was Norway's first member of parliament to come out as gay. She fought for LGBTQ rights and declared her civil partnership with Karen Christine Friele in 1993.
-
(#21) Elaine Noble
- 75
Elaine Noble became the first openly gay person elected to a state legislature when she became a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1974. "There was a level of animosity in all strata of society against homosexuality," she said of the time.
-
(#22) Catherine McKenney
Catherine McKenney was the first openly LGBTQ woman elected to Ottawa Council when she took office in 2014.
-
(#23) Joan McBride
Joan McBride was the Mayor of Kirkland before moving on to the Washington House of Representatives in 2014. She is openly lesbian and has been supported by the Victory Fund.
-
(#24) Kathy Kozachenko
Kathy Kozachenko was the first openly gay woman elected to a public office in the United States. Throughout the 1970s, she fought for LGBTQ rights as a member of the City Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
-
(#25) Helen Kennedy
- 61
Helen Kennedy joined the federal Liberal party in Canada to support a fellow member of the LGBTQ community. She said that she "joined to support an out queer Métis who has done an amazing amount of work for the community on a number of levels."
-
(#26) Rebecca Kaplan
- 48
Oakland City Council member Rebecca Kaplan used her political tenure to work for environmental causes.
-
(#27) Laurie Jinkins
Laurie Jinkins is the first open lesbian to serve in the Washington state legislature. "I was a natural and respected leader in the successful passage of full marriage equality," she says on her website. "Trusted by my colleagues, I will continue to bring the perspective of a loving mother in a committed 25-year relationship to the House floor as a reminder to colleagues and people throughout the state that we must respect the rights and dignity of every Washington family."
-
(#28) Cheryl Jacques
- 57
Activist and politician Cheryl Jacques said, "The research I've helped spearhead shows that 51% of LGBT Americans don't talk about the impact of discrimination on their lives. They may be out, but they stop right there. They don't say 'Mom, did you know I could be fired in 36 states for being gay?' They don't have social security survivor benefits, they can't serve openly in the military… . Our families, friends and colleagues don't know this."
-
(#29) Bettina Herlitzius
- 58
German politician Bettina Herlitzius is openly lesbian and has been a champion for LGBTQ rights.
-
(#30) Penny Sharpe
- 48
Australian politician Penny Sharpe worked to strengthen the rights of gay parents during her time in Parliament.
-
(#31) Jackie Goldberg
- 74
Former Californian politician Jackie Goldberg said, "I always won the majority of Republican women in my district, which always just surprised me enormously. But I think part of that was that I held a lot of meetings in neighborhoods and addressed their specific concerns. They weren’t really concerned that I was gay."
-
(#32) Torie Osborn
- 68
Torie Osborn has spent her career fighting for LGBTQ issues as executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington DC and at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center during the AIDS epidemic.
-
(#33) Louise Pratt
- 46
Openly gay Australian senator Louise Pratt is in a relationship with a transgender partner. "One of the things I love about Aram is his capacity to be clear about what he wants out of life. It makes him a great partner because he doesn’t hide from the big issues in life. If difficult stuff comes up, he will want to talk it through until we have a plan for where we want to go," she said of their relationship.
-
(#34) Grace Ross
- 57
Massachusetts politician and activist Grace Ross became the first open lesbian to run for governor of the state in 2006. "The real issue is that LGBT people don't have the same level of safety on the street," she said at the time. "For transgender people, it's an even deeper public policy issue where we have to start thinking about gender in a completely different way."
-
(#35) Sally Talbot
- 65
Australian politician Sally Talbot has said, "That attitude towards my professional and my personal life is actually based on my belief that it [sexual orientation] isn't that important."
New Random Displays Display All By Ranking
About This Tool
Today, we will tell you the stories of 35 outstanding female politicians. They are groundbreaking and highly accomplished scholars, as well as social activists who have worked for the LGBTQ+ community for life. Their excellence lies not only in their impressive achievements in the political field but also in their courage in exploring themselves, and their infinite enthusiasm for life and the world.
Here you could find a list of 35 famous lesbian politicians around the world who have the courage to face criticism and rumors, and their sexual orientation is no longer a challenge nowadays. Welcome to introduce this interesting random tool to friends.
Our data comes from Ranker, If you want to participate in the ranking of items displayed on this page, please click here.