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John, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar Serving as Ireland’s Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020, Leo Varadkar is the fourth out LGBTQ person in modern history to serve as a head of government, as well as the youngest Irish Taoiseach in history and its first prime minister of Asian descent. Among other elected positions, Varadkar won election as a Fine Gael member of Dáil Éireann in 2007 and soon was elevated to a series of leadership roles in the opposition front bench. He replaced Edna Kenny as leader of Fine Gael in 2017, paving way for his election as Taoiseach. In office he championed a nationwide referendum modernizing Ireland’s abortion laws, which overwhelmingly passed in 2018. Currently Varadkar serves as Ireland’s Tánaiste, the deputy head of government. Governor Kate Brown In 2016, Kate Brown made history as the first out LGBTQ person elected governor of any U.S. state, when she won her special election to serve out the term of former Gov. John Kitzhaber. Brown – who is bisexual – previously made history as the first out LGBTQ person elected secretary of state in 2008. Brown’s political career began in 1991 – when, as a young lawyer – she was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Oregon House of Representatives. She was re-elected to the position and later won a seat in the Oregon Senate, where she served as majority leader. In office, Brown has earned the nickname “America’s most progressive governor,” supporting laws to expand voting access, state funding for abortion and investment in universal pre-K. State Senator Christine Kehoe Christine Kehoe was an established feminist, LGBTQ rights and AIDS activist when she was elected to a seat on the San Diego City Council in 1993, becoming the first out LGBTQ elected official in the county. After serving seven years on the Council, she was elected to the California State Assembly, where she served twelve years, during which she co-founded the LGBT Legislative Caucus, authored the state’s largest energy conservation bill, and was elected Assembly Speaker Pro Tem, the chamber’s second-highest-ranking position. In 2004, Kehoe was elected to the state Senate, where she served until 2012. Vice President Andrea Jenkins Andrea Jenkins is the first out Black transgender woman to win elected office in the U.S. and currently serves as Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council, where she represents Ward 8. Her election also marked the first time in history an out transgender woman was elected to a major city’s council. Prior to her election, Jenkins served as a City Council staffer for twelve years. From 2015 to 2018, she worked as an oral historian for the Tretter Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota, documenting the stories of transgender and gender non-conforming Midwesterners. Jenkins is an accomplished poet and writer. |
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These leaders have made significant contributions to advancing LGBTQ political power and equality. Each of these leaders have dedicated their careers to furthering LGBTQ equality, fighting bravely for progress while facing death threats or extreme discrimination. Running as an out and proud leader takes great courage – especially when you’re the first in your city or agency, state legislature or even in the country. |
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Paid for by LGBTQ Victory Fund Federal PAC. Your contribution may be used in connection with federal, state and local elections and be subject to federal, state and local laws. Contributions to LGBTQ Victory Fund Federal PAC are not tax deductible. Victory Fund members do not have governance participation rights. |
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