In light of the recent threads about Jews, Blacks, and Mormons I though I’d ask can an openly gay man or lesbian get elected President? In my opinion no, not for at least 50 to 60 years. I also think a lesbian would have a better chance than a gay man. I think a gay cabinet member a possiblity within 10-20 years.
Well, what if she was a Black, lesbian Mormon, recently converted from Judaism? She’d be a shoe-in!! 
No, no gay presidents for many, many years. At least not openly gay. Although I suppose it’s possible there have been some already…
There has probably been one already.
http://lindholm.jp/chinf_buc.html
But only probably, not definately.
Come to think of it, does any country have an openly gay elected chief executive?
If they won’t let Homosexuals serve in the armed forces, somehow I doubt one would be able to get elected.
Pim Fortuyn, Peter Mandleson, and Michael Portillo all might have achieved this if death, financial scandal, and foolish decisions by their party (respectively) hadn’t intervened. But they were all openly gay prominent politicians with reasonable chances of coming to power.
I think it’s highly unlikely-- an improbibility at best. Maybe, centuries from now, people will be more enlightened, but currently, Christian “morality” is deeply entrenched in American politics. Just two years ago, people turned out in droves to deny gays the right to marry.
[the simpsons]
LISA: In answer to your question, yes, I am proud to be first straight, female president of the United States!
MOE: Don’t blame me! I voted for Chastity Bono!
[/ts]
I would love to see someone win the election, get sworn in, and then come out of the closet.
I’m Here, I’m Queer,I’m Your President.
It’s hard enough for a bachelor to get elected. And a married president who came out of the closet would justly be denounced as dishonest (to the people, and to his wife for all those years).
Of the currently held prejudices held; I’m guessing this will take the longest to work out. Though we are MUCH further along than we were just a few decades ago. I would say it would be possible within the next 20 years (given the right person).
As amusing as that notion is, it would be highly unlikely in our mud-slinging era that a gay person could run for office without his/her sexuality being discovered.
As you stated Openly Gay, I would say not a chance. Not for many decades, probably not in my lifetime. The very fact that we wonder if an African American, Jewish or Mormon Candidate could win should provide the answer to your question. There is “outside the mainstream” and then there is “really outside the mainstream”. I think we have a really long way to go.
Now a Homosexual could be elected if they were not open. My state elected a Gay Governor, we just didn’t know it. Of course he didn’t help the Gay Agenda by being a crooked and inept governor.
Jim
And here it is, in case you were wondering!
He wasn’t chief executive, but what about Harvey Milk? He was a city supervisor for San Francisco and the first openly gay politician elected in the US.
no
Well, if we’re getting down to local officials, the current mayor of Paris is openly gay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Delanoë
Having lived in New Jersey through the Jim McGreevy bruhaha, I can’t image what would have happened if he had been President.
The first openly gay elected official for any local office in America was Kathy Kozachenko, who was elected to the Ann Arbor, Michigan City Council in April 1974, three years before Harvey Milk was elected.
Well he resigned before the bruhaha got going and he was already considered a horrible Governor before it came out that he was employing his lover in 6 figure jobs.
I’ll give him credit for at least not letting himself be blackmailed.
Jim