# Gay US politicians **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935 "2004-10-24T20:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/21 "2004-10-25T15:47:58Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And from a purely pragmatic standpoint, not only is an openly gay person more likely to support issues of importance to gay people, in theory it should become harder for non-gay and/or anti-gay politicians to support anti-gay issues in the face of an openly gay colleague. Absolutely. It’s harder to make wildly ignorant, overgeneralized claims about “those people” when one of “those people” sits next to you at the subcommittee on appropriations every other Wednesday. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/22 "2004-10-25T16:19:54Z")
> [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](#): > > Absolutely. It’s harder to make wildly ignorant, overgeneralized claims about “those people” when one of “those people” sits next to you at the subcommittee on appropriations every other Wednesday. Doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference with Frank’s House colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle, though. Anyone remember Dick “Barney Fag” Armey? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/23 "2004-10-25T16:54:19Z")
Some people are irredeemable and only death will change them. Armey’s one of them. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/24 "2004-10-25T17:08:40Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference with Frank’s House colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle, though. Anyone remember Dick “Barney Fag” Armey? Heh. I did say “harder” rather than, alas, “impossible.” Some people have a real gift for hatefulness. It might also be a problem of critical mass. When there is only one openly gay person amongst hundreds, a lot of lawmakers could go their entire careers on the Hill without serving on a committee or talking with that person at any length. It’s probably not hard for hardcore anti-homosexual conservatives to dismiss him as “that fag from Massachusetts” and never have to really face him or work with him. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/25 "2004-10-25T17:45:40Z")
Odd that nobody’s mentioned New Jersey Governor James McGreevey yet - he’d be the highest-ranking elected official, although he didn’t come out until after elected and won’t be re-elected. Patrick Guerriero was mayor of the Boston suburb of Melrose, elected while “out”, before using that post to be chosen for a hopeless LG run. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/26 "2004-10-25T18:03:08Z")
I only learned it through this site, I think, but apparently there were/are rumors about former New York City Mayor Ed Koch. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/27 "2004-10-25T19:14:57Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Odd that nobody’s mentioned New Jersey Governor James McGreevey yet - he’d be the highest-ranking elected official, although he didn’t come out until after elected and won’t be re-elected. That _is_ [odd](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5406022&postcount=6)! Regarding people like Foley, Shalala, etc. the OP was asking about _openly_ gay politicians. Not closet cases. As for a history lesson, Jose Sarria was the first known openly gay person to run for elected office (San Francisco board of supervisors, in 1961). He actually did quite well, considering. Didn’t win but got enough votes (over 5,000) to demonstrate that the “homophile” vote was significant. Elaine Noble was the first known openly lesbian or gay person to hold elective office (Ann Arbor city council in the early 70s). Harvey Milk was the first known openly gay man to hold elective office. He was elected to the SF board of supervisors in 1977, only to be assassinated (along with Mayor George Moscone) in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/28 "2004-10-25T21:20:25Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference with Frank’s House colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle, though. Anyone remember Dick “Barney Fag” Armey? Ya know, you’d think that a guy named “Dick Armey” would know better than to mock other people’s names. David Cicilline of Providence is the first openly gay mayor of a state capital. Not really a contender for “most senior,” but still noteworthy. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/29 "2004-10-25T22:27:54Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Harvey Milk was the first known openly gay man to hold elective office. He was elected to the SF board of supervisors in 1977, only to be assassinated (along with Mayor George Moscone) in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White. Actually, I think that Allan Spear was elected earlier. He was first elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1972, and came out in the newspaper in 1974, before his re-election campaign. He was re-elected then, and continued in the Minnesota Senate for about a third of a century, finally retiring in 2002. At that time he was President of the Senate, having been chosen to that leadership position by his fellow Senators for the last several years. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/30 "2004-10-25T22:43:38Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Harvey Milk was the first known openly gay man to hold elective office. He was elected to the SF board of supervisors in 1977, only to be assassinated (along with Mayor George Moscone) in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White. Who got seven years for a DOUBLE MURDER, five of which he served. We’ve come a long way. Too bad it’s too late for some wonderful people. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/31 "2004-10-26T13:25:47Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Who got seven years for a DOUBLE MURDER, five of which he served. The Twinkies made him do it… :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/32 "2004-10-26T13:41:17Z")
That’s not actually what White’s defense attorney argued. The argument was that White was suffering from severe depression and acting erratically. One example they used was that White, who was normally really health conscious, had started eating a lot of twinkies and other junk food. ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/33 "2004-10-26T14:11:51Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > If all goes well, a very good friend of mine will be the next gay Congressman. > > [http://www.brettwagner2004.com/](http://www.brettwagner2004.com/) > > Haj Interesting. Does he have a chance? People may also want to note that Rep. Frank (D-MA) may run for Senate if Kerry takes the presidency. There are also some current gay US Senators, but closeted. Also, depending on how you define gay, there is (rumored) one gay Supreme Court justice. Clinton also appointed the head of the Patent and Trade Office, who was openly gay. A couple cabinet members of Clinton were closeted and gay. Again, depends on how you define it when it comes to non-dating gay person who also avoids the gay community. Are they gay, still gay, never gay? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/34 "2004-10-26T14:37:25Z")
> [@drhess](#): > > Interesting. Does he have a chance? He’s a Democrat running against a long time incumbent in a GOP district so his chances aren’t great. Polls show him behind but within the margin of error and coming closer than anyone else has in quite some time. His opponent has said that this is his last term so he’ll have a much better chance next time. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/35 "2004-10-27T16:43:42Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Actually, I think that Allan Spear was elected earlier. He was first elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1972, and came out in the newspaper in 1974, before his re-election campaign. He was re-elected then, and continued in the Minnesota Senate for about a third of a century, finally retiring in 2002. At that time he was President of the Senate, having been chosen to that leadership position by his fellow Senators for the last several years. I should have phrased that as Harvey was the first to win initially as an openly gay man. Spears was not out when he was elected initially. > [@drhess](#): > > People may also want to note that Rep. Frank (D-MA) may run for Senate if Kerry takes the presidency. People [did](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5406022&postcount=6). ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935/36 "2004-10-27T17:14:26Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > It is also considered an open secret in Washington (again, less than savory sources), that Republican Florida congressman Mark Foley is a homosexual. I believe he was a co-sponsor of DoMA. No, Foley was not a co-sponsor, although he did vote for it. Another person who voted for the DoMA: the now openly-gay Rep. James Kolbe of Arizona. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-us-politicians/270935.md?page=1)