30 out LGBTQ+ political leaders who rewrote history
Across the world, openly LGBTQ+ politicians have broken barriers in parliaments, cabinets and city halls. From heads of government to local trailblazers, these leaders made history while in office. Here are key moments, plus what they have shared about partners, family life and equality.
Rob Jetten becomes the Netherlands’ first gay PM
Rob Jetten was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Netherlands in February 2026, becoming the country’s youngest and first openly gay prime minister. King Willem-Alexander swore in a new minority coalition led by Jetten after D66 emerged as the largest party in October 2025. Jetten is engaged to Nicolás Keenan.
Latvia elects Edgars Rinkēvičs as President
Edgars Rinkēvičs was elected President of Latvia in May 2023, becoming the first openly gay head of state in an EU country. Rinkēvičs came out publicly in 2014 and has expressed support for legal recognition of same-sex partnerships, but not all types of partnerships. He previously served as Latvia’s foreign minister.
Ana Brnabić takes on Serbia’s acting presidency
Ana Brnabić became Serbia’s acting president in September 2026 after President Aleksandar Vučić resigned, and is thought to be the first openly lesbian head of state. Brnabić served as Serbia’s prime minister from 2017 to 2024. She was most recently president of Serbia’s National Assembly. Her partner is Milica Djurdjic, a doctor.
Wes Streeting speaks about abuse in high office
Wes Streeting said in August 2026 that he had received a surge of homophobic abuse after becoming the UK’s first openly gay defence secretary. Speaking on All Talk, Streeting said: “I have experienced more online homophobia in the last three weeks than I have in my entire life.” He referenced the UK’s military ban, which ended in 2000.
Chris Pappas wins a breakthrough US Senate race
Chris Pappas won New Hampshire’s US Senate race in November 2026, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate. In his victory speech, Pappas thanked his husband, Vann Bentley, and said he was “the luckiest guy” to be married to him. He entered the race after Jeanne Shaheen did not seek re-election.
Sarah McBride’s re-election keeps making US history
Sarah McBride won re-election to the US House in November 2026 as the first openly transgender member of Congress. During her first term, opposing Republicans attempted to restrict her access to women’s bathrooms in the US Capitol and misgendered her before she had cast her first vote. She defeated Republican Joseph Arminio.
J.D. Ford turns Indiana’s 5th into a milestone
J.D. Ford won election to the US House in November 2026, becoming the first openly gay member of Congress from Indiana. Ford defeated incumbent Republican Victoria Spartz in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District. He previously became the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Indiana General Assembly after winning a state senate seat in 2018.
Todd Gloria leads US mayors on a national stage
Todd Gloria is the 2026–2027 President of the United States Conference of Mayors. He has served as the 37th Mayor of San Diego since 2020, after San Diegans elected him as the city’s first openly LGBTQ+ mayor that year. Voters re-elected him in 2024.
Bev Craig takes Greater Manchester as an out mayor
Bev Craig was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in August 2026 and is openly lesbian. Craig previously made history as Manchester’s first woman and first openly gay leader of Manchester City Council in 2021. Before running for mayor, she served as Deputy Mayor for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth.
Amita Kuttner becomes interim leader of Canada’s Greens
Amita Kuttner was appointed interim leader of the Green Party of Canada in November 2021, becoming the first openly trans and non-binary person to lead a federal political party in Canada. The party’s Federal Council appointed them to lead until a new leader was elected. They were also described as the youngest and first person of East Asian descent to lead a federal party at the time.
Petra De Sutter reaches Belgium’s highest ranks
Petra De Sutter was sworn in as Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister in October 2020, becoming Europe’s most senior openly transgender politician at the time. After being sworn in, she said she hoped her appointment would help trigger debate in countries where trans equality was not yet a non-issue. De Sutter was co-opted to the Belgian Senate in 2014 as the first openly transgender Belgian parliamentarian.
Tessa Ganserer comes out while serving in Bavaria
Tessa Ganserer came out publicly as transgender in January 2019 while serving as a member of the Bavarian state parliament. She was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2018 under her former name, Markus Ganserer. Ganserer said her transition highlighted the need to update Germany’s 1980 Transsexual Act for legal name and gender changes.
Erika Hilton joins Brazil’s Congress as a trailblazer
Erika Hilton won election to Brazil’s National Congress in October 2022 as one of the country’s first openly trans members of parliament. Hilton had previously been elected in 2020 as a trans councillor in São Paulo’s Municipal Chamber. She criticised Jair Bolsonaro’s record on LGBTQ+ people and described him as legitimising violence.
Duda Salabert brings motherhood into Brazil’s national politics
Duda Salabert won election to Brazil’s National Congress in October 2022 as one of the country’s first openly trans members of parliament. She has a young daughter with her partner. After her child’s birth, she became the first trans woman in Brazil to be granted maternity leave.
Robeyoncé Lima’s national run and state-level role
Robeyoncé Lima ran for election to Brazil’s National Congress in October 2022 but did not secure a seat. She was elected state deputy for Pernambuco in 2018 and was the first trans woman elected official in the state.
Alexandra Briem takes the chair in Reykjavík’s council
Alexandra Briem became President of Reykjavík City Council in May 2021 and was described as the first trans woman to hold the post. The role sits at the centre of city decision-making, putting an openly trans politician in a highly visible leadership position in Iceland’s capital.
Kathy Kozachenko’s 1974 win set a US first
Kathy Kozachenko was elected to the Ann Arbor City Council in April 1974 as the first openly gay or lesbian candidate to win public office in the United States. The OutHistory project notes that earlier Ann Arbor councilmembers Jerry DeGrieck and Nancy Wechsler were elected in 1972 and later came out while in office.
Harvey Milk’s election reshapes San Francisco’s politics
Harvey Milk took office on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in January 1978 after being elected in November 1977, and was described as the first openly gay man elected to significant public office in California. Milk opened a camera shop on Castro Street in 1973 with his then-partner, helping anchor his political base in the Castro district.
Tammy Baldwin opens the door to the US Senate
Tammy Baldwin was elected to the US Senate in November 2012 as the first openly gay person elected to the chamber. Her official biography also states she was Wisconsin’s first woman to serve in the US Senate. She was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2024.
Gabriel Attal makes history at France’s top job
Gabriel Attal was appointed Prime Minister of France in January 2024, becoming the country’s first openly gay prime minister. Attal was 34 at the time and was described as France’s youngest prime minister. He said he faced repeated homophobic bullying at Paris’ private school l’Ecole alsacienne.
Paolo Rondelli serves as San Marino’s Captain Regent
Paolo Rondelli served as one of San Marino’s Captain Regents from April 2022 to October 2022, and was described as one of the first openly gay heads of state. The Captain Regents serve as co-heads of state in San Marino for a six-month term. Rondelli previously served as San Marino’s ambassador to the United States.
Leo Varadkar and Dr Matthew Barrett in public view
Leo Varadkar became Ireland’s first openly gay taoiseach in 2017 and has been in a relationship with Dr Matthew Barrett since 2015. Varadkar came out in 2015 during the lead-up to Ireland’s marriage equality referendum. Asked about the greatest love of his life, he said: “I guess that is Dr Matthew Barrett.”
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir’s landmark years leading Iceland
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir served as Prime Minister of Iceland from 2009 to 2013 and was described as the first openly LGBTQ+ head of government in the world. She entered a civil union with Jónína Leósdóttir in 2002. Iceland passed a same-sex marriage law in 2010 during her time as prime minister.
Xavier Bettel’s marriage becomes a political landmark
Xavier Bettel served as Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2013 to 2023 and married his partner Gauthier Destenay in 2015. Bettel is openly gay and was a prominent openly LGBTQ+ head of government in Europe during his tenure.
Manvendra Singh Gohil’s visibility as an out royal
Manvendra Singh Gohil is an openly gay Indian royal (Prince) and a prominent LGBTQ+ rights advocate. He publicly came out in 2006 and his been a prominent advocate since. His profile has helped bring LGBTQ+ issues into public discussion well beyond electoral politics.
Cait Conley joins a new wave of US winners
New York Congresswoman-elect Cait Conley is one of a host of new LGBTQ+ candidates who ran for federal office this year and won their races. Her win is part of a broader picture of LGBTQ+ representation expanding through competitive elections, not only appointments.
Jeremy Moss takes Michigan to Washington, DC
Michigan Congressman-elect Jeremy Moss is another one of the host of new LGBTQ candidates who ran for federal office this year and won their races. His election adds another openly LGBTQ+ voice to federal lawmaking, reflecting how state-level political careers can translate into national power.
Marni von Wilpert adds to California’s LGBTQ+ representation
California Congresswoman Marni von Wilpert is one of a host of new LGBTQ+ candidates who ran for federal office this year and won their races. Her victory underlines how LGBTQ+ candidates are increasingly winning in varied districts across the USA.
Pornchai Witayalerdpan makes Thai Senate history
Pornchai Witayalerdpan became the first openly gay man elected to the Thai Senate in 2024. He welcomed the US midterm results and praised Chris Pappas’s win. His election marked a milestone for LGBTQ+ visibility within Thailand’s national political institutions.
Thabatta Pimenta wins as a trans candidate in Brazil
Congresswoman-elect Thabatta Pimenta is a trans woman from Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. She is among the LGBTQ candidates who won in Brazil’s October election. Her win adds to a growing list of openly trans politicians securing national-level mandates.
