List of the first LGBT holders of political offices

European Union

Argentina

• First gay congressperson: Senator Osvaldo López – 27 July 2011 (married to a man^[1])
• First gay deputy to the Buenos Aires City Legislature: María Rachid – 2011
• First gay member of the Cabinet: Piter Robledo — 2015

Bolivia

• First gay congressperson: Manuel Canelas – elected 2014^[2]

Brazil

• First transgender person elected (Alderperson): Kátia Tapety – Colônia do Piauí – 1992
• First transgender vice-mayor: Kátia Tapety – 2004
• First gay congressperson: Federal Deputy Clodovil Hernandes – 2006
• First transgender person elected as Alderperson in a state capital: Leo Kret – Salvador – 2008.^[3]
• First openly LGBT activist congressperson: Federal Deputy Jean Wyllys – 2010^[4]
• First mayor elected: Edgar de Souza - Lins (São Paulo)- 2012; reelected, 2016 (married to a man)^[5]
• Mayor: Wirley Rodrigues Reis- Itapecerica (Minas Gerais)- 2016^[6]
• Alderperson: Marielle Franco and David Miranda (Rio de Janeiro); Fernando Holiday (São Paulo)- 2016^[7]
• Senator: Fabiano Contarato (Espírito Santo) - 2018^[8]

Canada

Chile

• First transgender councilmember: Alejandra González – elected 2004^[9]
• First openly gay councilman: Jaime Parada – elected 2012^[10]
• First transgender councilmember: Zuliana Araya – elected 2012
• Chamber of Deputies:
  • Claudio Arriagada – elected 2013
  • Guillermo Ceroni – elected 2013, came out in 2015.^[11]

Colombia

• Cabinet: Cecilia Álvarez-Correa Glen, Minister of Transport 2012–2014, Minister of Trade and Industry (2014-2018) (came out in 2014)
• Cabinet: Gina Parody, Minister of Education (2014-2018)
• Cabinet: Ricardo Lozano Picón, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development (2018, incumbent)
• Senate: Claudia López 2014
• House of Representatives: Angélica Lozano Correa – elected 2014
• National Agency: Brigitte Baptiste (trans woman), Director of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Biodiversity

Costa Rica

• House of Representatives: Carmen Muñoz – elected 2010

Cuba

• First transgender person elected to office: Adela Hernandez – 2012^[12]

Ecuador

• Minister of Health: Carina Vance Mafla – elected 2012
• National Assembly:
  • First transgender lawmaker: Diane Marie Rodríguez Zambrano – elected 2017^[13]

El Salvador

• Mayor of Intipucá: Hugo Salinas – elected 2009^[14]

Guatemala

• First lesbian congressperson: Sandra Morán – elected 2015^[15]

Mexico

• Federal Deputy (members of the lower federal chamber):
  • Female: Patria Jiménez – 1997.
  • Male: David Sánchez Camacho – 2006.
• Local Deputy (members of a state congress or the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District):
  • Female: Enoé Uranga – 2000 (Federal District).
  • Male: David Sánchez Camacho – 1997 (Federal District).
• Municipal president (city mayor):
  • Male: Benjamín Medrano Quezada – 2013 (Fresnillo, Zacatecas).

Peru

• First transgender councilmember: Luisa Revilla – elected 2014^[16]
• Member of Congress:
  • Carlos Bruce – elected 2006, came out as gay in 2014. Re-elected from 2016 to 2021
  • Alberto de Belaunde – elected 2016
• Minister
  • Carlos Bruce – designed as Minister of Transport and Communications in September 2017

Puerto Rico

• Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, Maite Oronoz Rodríguez – sworn in 15 July 2014.

United States

Uruguay

• First openly gay member of Government: Andrés Scagliola – 2010, came out in 2011.
• First gay congressperson: Martín Couto – 2014, came out in 2017.
• First transgender legislator: Michelle Suárez Bértora – 2014

Venezuela

• National Assembly:
  • First transgender deputy: Tamara Adrián – elected 2015.^[17]
  • First openly gay deputy: Rosmit Mantilla – elected 2015.^[18]

Austria

• Member of Parliament: Ulrike Lunacek – 1999

Belgium

• Prime Minister, Elio Di Rupo (PS) (2011, first openly gay man to head a Belgian national government in modern times)
• Member of the Flemish Government, Pascal Smet (SP.A) – came out in 2009
• Member of the Brussels Government
  • Bruno De Lille (Groen)
  • Pascal Smet (SP.A)

Czech Republic

• Member of the Government:
  • Male: Gustáv Slamečka – Minister of Transport (2009–2010)
  • Female: Karla Šlechtová – Minister for Regional Development (2014–)
• Member of the Senate: Václav Fischer (1999–2002)
• Regional council member (Prague) - Matěj Stropnický (2014-)
• Party leader (Green Party) - Matěj Stropnický (2016-2017)

Denmark

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Yvonne Herløv Andersen – 1998 she was also MP for a few terms during the 1970s and 1980s, but not while openly lesbian.
  • Male: Torben Lund – 1998 came out in February 1998 while still an MP.
  • Male: Uffe Elbæk – Minister of Culture 2011–2012
  • Male: Søren Pape Poulsen – Minister of Justice 2016
  • Male: Rasmus Nordqvist – Member of parliament 2015-now
• Member of Government:
  • Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education (since May 2018): Tommy Ahlers – came out as bisexual in July 2018.

Faroe Islands

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Sonja J. Jógvansdóttir – 2015

Finland

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male Jani Toivola – 2011
  • Female Merikukka Forsius (bisexual) – 1999
  • Male Oras Tynkkynen – 2004
  • Male Pekka Haavisto – 1987
  • Male Reijo Paananen – 2002
  • Female Silvia Modig – 2011
• Leader of a major political party (Green League): Pekka Haavisto 1992
• Member of the Government: Minister of the Environment: Pekka Haavisto – 1995 and Minister for International Development: Pekka Haavisto – 2011

France

• Member of Parliament:
  • André Labarrère^(fr) (1928–2006) – came out 1998^[19]
  • Franck Riester – came out 2011^[20]
  • Laurence Vanceunebrock-Mialon – 2017
• Mayor of Paris: Bertrand Delanoë – came out 1998, elected 2001^[21]
• Government Member: Roger Karoutchi, Secretary of State for relations with parliament – came out 2009^[22]

Germany

• Famous Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Herbert Rusche: 1985–1987 (Alliance '90/The Greens)
  • Male: Volker Beck: since 1994 (Alliance '90/The Greens)
  • Female: Helga Schuchardt: 1972–1983 (FDP), non-voluntary came out: 1992 (was Minister of Science and Culture in Lower Saxony at that time)
  • Female: Barbara Hendricks: since 1994 (SPD)
• Mayors and/or Heads of Länder:
  • Berlin: Klaus Wowereit – 2001–2014, also president of Bundesrat in 2001–2002
  • Essen: Thomas Kufen – 2015
  • Hamburg: Ole von Beust – 2001–2010, also president of Bundesrat in 2007–2008
  • Mainz: Michael Ebling – 2012
  • Wiesbaden: Sven Gerich – 2013
• Member of Government:
  • Vice Chancellor (2009–2011) and Foreign Minister (2009–2013): Guido Westerwelle, leader of (FDP)
  • Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety: Barbara Hendricks (SPD), since 2013

Hungary

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Klára Ungár^(hu) – 1990
• Member of Government:
  • Secretary of State for Human Resources: Gábor Szetey came out 2007

Iceland

• Prime Minister: Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (2009, first openly gay person in the world to be elected head of government)
• Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources: Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson

Ireland

• Taoiseach (Prime Minister): Leo Varadkar – 2017
• Leader of largest party in Dáil Éireann
  • Leo Varadkar, Fine Gael elected in 2017
• Mayor
  • Cian O'Callaghan, Mayor of Fingal County Council in 2012
• Minister
  • Male
    • Leo Varadkar (Minister since 2011; came out in 2015^[23])
  • Female
    • Katherine Zappone (Minister since 2016; the first minister to have been openly gay at the time of first appointment to cabinet)
• Member of the Oireachtas (parliament):
  • TD (Member of Dáil):
    • Male:
      • Dominic Hannigan (Meath East) and
      • John Lyons (Dublin North-West) were both out when first elected in 2011;^[24]
    • Female:
      • Katherine Zappone (Dublin South-West) – 2016
  • Senator:
    • Male: David Norris (University of Dublin) – 1987
    • Female: Katherine Zappone (Taoiseach's nominee) – 2011

Isle of Man

• Chief Minister: Allan Bell (2011) Came out 2015.^[25]

Italy

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Angelo Pezzana^(it) – 1979
  • Male: Nichi Vendola – 1992
  • Male: Daniele Capezzone, bisexual – 2006
  • Female: Titti De Simone^(it) – 2001
  • Female: Paola Concia – 2008
  • Trans female: Vladimir Luxuria – 2006
• Member of the government:
  • Minister for Agriculture: Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio – 2000 came out later 2000 – again Minister of Environment in 2006 (bisexual)
• President of Region:
  • President of Apulia: Nichi Vendola – 2005–2015
  • President of Sicily: Rosario Crocetta – 2012–2017

Latvia

• Member of Government:
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs: Edgars Rinkēvičs^[26] – 2014

Lithuania

• Member of Parliament: Rokas Žilinskas – 2008^[27]

Luxembourg

• Prime Minister: Xavier Bettel
• Deputy Prime Minister: Etienne Schneider
• Mayor of Luxembourg City: Xavier Bettel

Netherlands

• Mayor of Sneek Arno Brok (VVD) - 2003
• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Coos Huijsen (CHU) – came out 1977 (world's first openly gay MP)
  • Female: Evelien Eshuis^(nl) (CPN) – 1982
• Member of Government:
  • Male: Minister of Finance: Jan Kees de Jager (CDA) – 2010
  • Female: Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food: Gerda Verburg (CDA) – 2007
  • Male: Minister of Economic Affairs: Joop Wijn (CDA) – 2006
  • (note: Ien Dales' (PvdA, Minister of the Interior) sexual orientation was only revealed after her death)
  • Female: Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations: Kajsa Ollongren (D66) - 2017

Norway

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Wenche Lowzow – 1977–1985 came out 1979, reelected 1981
  • Male: Anders Hornslien – 1993 – 2001, came out 1994
• Member of Government:
  • Minister of Finance: Per Kristian Foss – 2001–2005
• City council chairman of Oslo: Erling Lae – 2000–2009

Poland

• City councillor, and first openly LGBT holder of any office in Poland: Krystian Legierski – 2010
• First openly gay member of parliament and current Mayor of City Słupsk: Robert Biedroń – 2011,^[28] 2014^[29]
• First openly transgender member of parliament: Anna Grodzka – 2011^[28]

Portugal

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Miguel Vale de Almeida – 2009–2010

• Member of the government:
  • Secretary of State Assistant and of Administrative Modernisation: Graça Fonseca – 2015–2018. Came out 2017.^[30]
  • Minister of Culture: Graça Fonseca – 2018–

• Party deputy leader: Adolfo Mesquita Nunes (CDS - People's Party) 2018

Serbia

• Prime Minister:
  • Ana Brnabić^[31] – 2017–
• Government minister:
  • Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government: Ana Brnabić – 2016–2017

Slovakia

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Edita Angyalová
  • Male: Stanislav Fořt – came out 2011

Soviet Union

• People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs: Georgy Chicherin (1918–1930)

Spain

• Member of the Cortes: Ángeles Álvarez (PSOE) – Member of the Congress of Deputies since 2011 from Madrid. She married her partner in 2005.^[32]
• Member of the Cortes: Jerónimo Saavedra (PSOE) – Has been a member of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate since 1977 until 2004 with some interruptions – came out 2000
• Autonomic President: Jeronimo Saavedra, President of the Canary Islands 1983–1987 and 1991–1993
• Member of Government:
  • Minister of Public Administrations and of Education and Science: Jerónimo Saavedra (Public Administrations, 1993–1995 and of Education and Science 1995–1996)
  • Minister of the Interior: Fernando Grande-Marlaska (incumbent)
  • Minister of Culture and Sport: Màxim Huerta (2018)
• Mayor of a Provincial Capital: Jerónimo Saavedra, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2007–2011
• Mayor of an Autonomic Capital: Javier Maroto (PP), Vitoria-Gasteiz Incumbent 2011–2015 – Member of Basque Parliament since 2012, Sectorial Under-secretary of the Spanish People's Party since 2015. Member of the Member of the Cortes since 2016.
• Transgender town councillor: Manuela Trasobares (ARDE) 2007 – at Geldo, Castellon

Sweden

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Kent Carlsson (s) – came out 1991, died in 1993
  • Female: Elisebeht Markström (s) – came out publicly in 2006
• Member of Government:
  • Minister of the Environment: Andreas Carlgren (c) – 2006
  • Minister of Migration Affairs: Tobias Billström (m) – 2006 (bisexual)

Switzerland

• Member of Parliament:
  • Male: Claude Janiak – elected 1999 – speaker of House of Representatives 2006
  • Female: Marianne Huguenin – elected 2003 – came out 2004^[33]
  • President of the National Council: Claude Janiak – 2005/2006
• Cantonal Governments:
  • Male: Martin Klöti – elected 2012 – Member of the Executive Council of St. Gallen
  • Male: Bernhard Pulver – elected 2006 – Member of the Executive Council of Bern
• Mayor of a large city:
  • Female: Corine Mauch – elected 2009 – Mayor of Zurich (largest city in Switzerland), first openly gay mayor of a large Swiss city

United Kingdom

South Africa

• Member of Parliament: Mike Waters – 1999
• Member of Parliament: Zakhele Mbhele – 2014
• Cabinet minister: Lynne Brown – 2014^[34]
• Provincial Premier: Lynne Brown – 2009
• High Court Judge: Edwin Cameron – 1995
• Constitutional Court Justice: Edwin Cameron – 2008

Hong Kong

• Legislative Council Member (Gay Male): Raymond Chan Chi-chuen – 2012

India

• First transgender person to be elected to public office: Shabnam Mausi was an elected member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2003.
• First transgender mayor of a city: Madhu Bai Kinnar was elected as the mayor of Raigarh, Chhattisgarh on 4 January 2015.^{[35][36][37][38]}

Israel

• Members of Knesset (Parliament):
  • Uzi Even (elected 2003)
  • Nitzan Horowitz (elected 2008)
  • Itzik Shmuli (elected 2013)
  • Amir Ohana (elected 2015)
• City councillors:
  • Tel-Aviv: Michal Eden (Lesbian, elected 1998), Itai Pinkas (first gay man; elected 2003), Yaniv Weizman (elected 2008)
  • Jerusalem: Saar Netanel (elected 2003)

Japan

• Member of the Diet, Upper House (Lesbian): Kanako Otsuji – 2013

Nepal

• Constituent Assembly Member: Sunil Babu Pant – 2008

Philippines

• Municipality of Leyte, Leyte Province Mayor (Gay Male): Arnold James Ysidoro 1998–2004; 2010
• Municipality of Palapag, Northern Samar (2013); Board Member of 2nd District of Northern Samar Province (2013–2016) (Transgender Woman): Florencio "Fawa" Abobo Batula
• City Councilor of Mandaue City (1998–2007); Board Member of 6th District of Cebu Province (2007–2010) (Gay Male): Wenceslao Gakit
• City Councilor of Pasay City (1980s) (Gay Male):Panfilo C Justo/ Justo Justo
• Barangay Capitan of Angeles IV, Tayabas, Quezon Province (2001) (Trans woman):Ruvic Rea
• House of Representatives (2016) (Trans woman): Geraldine Roman

Taiwan

• Minister without Portfolio (2016) (Trans woman): Audrey Tang (World's first)

Australia

Guam

• Member of Legislature: Benjamin Cruz – 2004
• Supreme Court Justice: Benjamin Cruz – 1997, Chief Justice 1999–2001 (came out 1995)

New Zealand

• Member of Parliament:
  • Female: Marilyn Waring (National) 1975–1984 (outed after entering parliament)
  • Female: Maryan Street (Labour) 2005–2014 (out before entering parliament)
  • Male: Chris Carter (Labour) 1993–2011
  • Transgender: Georgina Beyer (Labour) 1999–2007 (world's first)
• Cabinet Minister:
  • Male: Minister of Conservation, Minister of Ethnic Affairs, Minister of Local Government, Minister for Building Issues, Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office: Chris Carter (Labour) 2002–2008
  • Female: Minister of Housing and Minister of ACC: Maryan Street (Labour) 2007–2008
  • Minister of Finance: Grant Robertson (Labour)
• Transgender mayor: Georgina Beyer (Labour) 1995–1999 (world's first)
• Party leader: Damian Light (United Future) 2017