List of the first openly LGBTQ holders of political offices

This is a list of political offices, whether elected or appointed, which have been held by a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person, with details of the first such holder of each office. It should only list people who came out as LGBT before or during their terms in office; it should not list people who came out only after retiring from politics, or people who were outed by reference sources only after their death. It should also exclude openly gay holders of inherited offices.
The year in brackets refers to the year which the officeholder was elected as an openly LGBT person. If they came out during term of office it is referred to after the year in brackets.
It is ordered by country, by dates of election or appointment. Former countries are also to be listed.

International bodies

[European Union]

[European Commission]

European Commissioner for Trade – Peter Mandelson – 2004

European Parliament">Member of the European Parliament">European Parliament

Arranged by country

Austria – Ulrike Lunacek – 2009
Denmark – Torben Lund – 1999
Belgium – Petra de Sutter – 2019
Finland – Silvia Modig – 2019
France – Roger Karoutchi – 1997
Germany – Lissy Gröner – 1989
Ireland – Maria Walsh – 2019
Italy – Gianni Vattimo – 1999
Luxembourg - Tilly Metz - 2018
Netherlands – Herman Verbeek – 1984
Poland – Robert Biedroń – 2019
Portugal – Paulo Rangel – 2009
Spain – José María Mendiluce Pereiro – 1999–2004
Spain – Antoni Comín – 2019
Sweden – Fredrick Federley and Malin Björk – 2014
United Kingdom – Tom Spencer – 1999
United Kingdom – Nikki Sinclaire – 2009

Head of subnational governments

The following is a list of LGBT persons who headed the governments of a first-tier administrative division within a sovereign state.
Currently in office

Name

Years

Jurisdiction

Population

Office

Note

Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal

1998–1999

Valle del Cauca

Americas

[Argentina]

Senate – Osvaldo López – 2011
Chamber of Deputies – Marcela Virginia Rodríguez – 2001
Chamber of Deputies – Leonardo Grosso – 2011
Government Minister – Jorge Faurie – 2017
Government Minister – Teresa Parodi – 2014
Government Minister – Ayelén Mazzina – 2022
Government Secretary – Alba Rueda – 2019
Government Member – Mara Pérez Reynoso – 2015
Provincial governor – Gustavo Melella – 2019
Buenos Aires City Legislature – María Rachid – 2011
Buenos Aires City Legislature – Maximiliano Ferraro – 2011
Mayor – Alexis Guerrera – 2003
Mayor – María Fernanda Villone – 2011
Municipal councillor – Sandra Edith "Tía Gaucha" Tancredi – 2022
Municipal councillor – Ariel Lucho López – 2023

[Aruba]

Parliament of Aruba – Miguel Mansur – 2021

[Bolivia]

Congressperson – Manuel Canelas – 2015
Assemblyperson – París Galán – 2015

[Chile]

Councilmember – Alejandra González Pino – 2004
Councilmember – Jaime Parada – 2012
Chamber of Deputies – Claudio Arriagada – 2013
Chamber of Deputies – Guillermo Ceroni – 2013
Chamber of Deputies – Emilia Schneider – 2021
Chamber of Deputies – Marcela Riquelme – 2021
Chamber of Deputies – Francisca Bello, Camila Musante – 2021

[Colombia]

Congressperson – Tamara Argote – 2022
Mayor of Bogota – Claudia López – 2019
Mayor of Chapinero – Blanca Inés Durán Hernández – 2008–2012
Minister of Transport – Cecilia Álvarez-Correa Glen − 2012–2014
[Ministry of New Zealand National Party|National Education (Colombia)|Minister of Education] – Gina Parody – 2014–2018
Minister of Commerce – Cecilia Álvarez-Correa Glen – 2014–2018
Minister of Environment – Ricardo Lozano Picón – 2018
Minister of Justice – Néstor Osuna – 2022–2024
Minister of Equality and Equity – Juan Carlos Florián – 2025–present
National Agency Director – Brigitte Baptiste
Representative – Angélica Lozano – 2014
Representative– Mauricio Toro – 2018
Senator – Angélica Lozano – 2018
Senator – Claudia López – 2015

[Costa Rica]

Legislative Assembly – Carmen Muñoz – elected 2010 and minister appointed in 2014
Cabinet Minister – Wilhelm von Breymann Barquero – appointed in 2014.
Legislative Assembly – Enrique Sánchez – 2018
Second Vice Mayor – Municipality of the Canton of Moravia – Gerhard Phillip Hernández Padilla – elected in 2024 .

[Cuba]

Municipal council – Adela Hernández – 2012

[Curaçao]

Governor of Curaçao - Mauritsz de Kort - November 4, 2025 – present).

[Ecuador]

National Assembly – Sandra Alvarez – 2009
Minister of Health: Carina Vance Mafla – 2012
National Assembly – Diane Marie Rodríguez Zambrano – 2017
Mayor of Pujilí – José Arroyo Cabrera – 2023

[El Salvador]

Mayor – Hugo Salinas – 2009

[Guatemala]

Member of Congress – Sandra Morán – 2016
Member of Congress – Aldo Dávila – 2020
Member of Central American Parliament – José Carlos Hernández Ruano − 2020

[Mexico]

Federal Deputy – Patria Jiménez – 1997
Federal Deputy – David Sánchez Camacho – 2006
Federal Deputy – María Clemente García – 2021
Federal Deputy – Salma Luévano – 2021
Local Deputy – Enoé Uranga – 2000
Local Deputy – David Sánchez Camacho – 1997
Municipal president – Benjamín Medrano Quezada – 2013
City Council – Rubí Suárez Araujo – 2016
City Council – Ezequiel García Torres – 2017

[Peru]

Councilmember – Luisa Revilla – 2014
Member of Congress – Carlos Bruce – 2006; 2016–2021
Member of Congress – Alberto de Belaunde – 2016
Minister of Transport and Communications – Carlos Bruce – September 2017

[Puerto Rico]

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico – Maite Oronoz Rodríguez – 15 July 2014

[Trinidad and Tobago]

Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago – Jowelle de Souza – 2022

[Uruguay]

Director of Macro Counseling in Social Policies – Andrés Scagliola – 2010
House of Representatives – Martín Couto – 2014
Member of Parliament – Michelle Suárez Bértora – 2014

[Venezuela]

National Assembly – Tamara Adrián – elected 2015
National Assembly – Rosmit Mantilla – elected 2015

Europe

[Croatia]

Member of Parliament – Domagoj Hajduković – 2011

[Czech Republic]

Member of the Senate – Václav Fischer – 1999–2002
Minister of Transport – Gustáv Slamečka – 2009–2010
Minister for Regional Development – Karla Šlechtová – 2014
Regional council member – Matěj Stropnický – 2014
Party leader – Matěj Stropnický – 2016–2017

[Denmark]

Member of Parliament – Yvonne Herløv Andersen – 1998
Member of Parliament – Torben Lund – 1998
Minister of Culture – Uffe Elbæk – 2011–2012
Member of Parliament – Rasmus Nordqvist – 2015
Minister of Justice – Søren Pape Poulsen – 2016
Minister for Science, Technology, Information and Higher Education – Tommy Ahlers – 2018

[Faroe Islands]

Member of Parliament – Sonja J. Jógvansdóttir – 2015

[Finland]

Member of Parliament – Oras Tynkkynen – 2004
Leader of a major political party – Pekka Haavisto – 1992
Minister of the Environment – Pekka Haavisto – 1995
Member of Parliament – Merikukka Forsius – 1999
Member of Parliament – Reijo Paananen – 2002
Secretary of a major political party – Reijo Paananen – 2012
Member of Parliament – Oras Tynkkynen – 2004
Member of Parliament – Jani Toivola – 2011
Member of Parliament – Silvia Modig – 2011
Minister for International Development – Pekka Haavisto – 2013
Minister for Foreign Affairs – Pekka Haavisto – 2019

[France]

Member of Parliament – – 1981
Mayor of Paris – Bertrand Delanoë – 2001
Government Member – Jean-Jacques Aillagon – 2002.
Government Member – Roger Karoutchi – 2007
Member of Parliament – Franck Riester – 2007
Member of Parliament – Laurence Vanceunebrock-Mialon – 2017
Government Member – Mounir Mahjoubi – 2017.
Government Member
Government Member – Gabriel Attal – 2018.
Mayor of Nancy – Mathieu Klein – 2020
Mayor of Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes – Marie Cau – 2020
Government Member – Sarah El Haïry – 2022
Government Member – Gabriel Attal – 2023
Prime Minister – Gabriel Attal – 2024
Government Member – Stéphane Séjourné – 2024

[Germany]

Reich Minister without portfolio, Reichsleiter: Ernst Röhm — 1933–1934. Historian Laurie Marhoefer writes that Röhm became the world's "first openly gay politician" after letters in which he called himself "same-sex orientated " were published by Social Democratic newspapers. He was murdered by the NSDAP in the "Night of the Long Knives"
Member of Parliament – Helga Schuchardt – 1972–1983
Mayor – Ole von Beust – 2001–2010
Mayor – Klaus Wowereit – 2001–2014
Vice Chancellor – Guido Westerwelle, leader of – 2009–2011
Foreign Minister – Guido Westerwelle, leader of – 2009–2013
Mayor – Pit Clausen – 2009
Mayor – Michael Ebling – 2012
Mayor – Sven Gerich – 2013
Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety – Barbara Hendricks – 2013–2018
Mayor – Thomas Kufen – 2015
Health Minister – Jens Spahn – 2018

[Greece]

Cabinet minister – Nicholas Yatromanolakis

[Hungary]

Member of Parliament – Klára Ungár – 1990–1994, 1994–1998
Member of Parliament – László Sebián-Petrovszki – 2019–2022, 2022–
Member of Parliament – Péter Ungár – 2018–2022, 2022–
Member of Government – Gábor Szetey – 2006–2009

[Iceland]

Prime Minister – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir – 2009–2013
Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir – 1987–1994, 2007–2009
Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources – Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson – 2017

Ireland">Republic of Ireland">Ireland

Senator – David Norris – 1987
Senator – Katherine Zappone – 2011
Teachta Dála – Dominic Hannigan – openly gay when elected in 2011
Teachta Dála – John Lyons – openly gay when elected in 2011
Teachta Dála – Jerry Buttimer – Elected as TD in 2011; came out in 2012
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport – Leo Varadkar – 2011, came out 2015
Mayor – Cian O'Callaghan – 2012
Leader of the Seanad Éireann – Jerry Buttimer – 2016
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs – Katherine Zappone – 2016
Taoiseach – Leo Varadkar – 2017
Leader of largest party in Dáil Éireann – Leo Varadkar, Fine Gael – 2017
Member of the European Parliament – Maria Walsh, 2019
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth – Roderic O'Gorman – 2020
Government Chief Whip – Jack Chambers, 2020, came out 2024
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, and at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications – Jack Chambers – 2022
Minister for Finance - Jack Chambers, 2024

[Isle of Man]

Chief Minister – Allan Bell – 2011

[Italy]

Member of Parliament – Angelo Pezzana – 1979
Minister for Agriculture – Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio – 2000
Member of Parliament – Titti De Simone – 2001
Mayor – Rosario Crocetta – 2003–2009
President of Apulia – Nichi Vendola – 2005–2015
Member of Parliament – Vladimir Luxuria – 2006
Member of Parliament – Sergio Lo Giudice – 2013
Member of Parliament – Ivan Scalfarotto – 2009
President of Sicily – Rosario Crocetta – 2012–2017
First transgender mayor – Gianmarco Negri – 2019
[President of Calabria|Acting President of Latvia|President of Calabria] – Antonino Spirlì – 2020–2021
Minister for Youth Policies and Sport – Vincenzo Spadafora – 2019

[Latvia]

Member of Parliament (Minister of Foreign Affairs) – Edgars Rinkēvičs – 2014
Member of Parliament – Marija Golubeva – 2018
Chairman of a political party – – 2018
President – Edgars Rinkēvičs – 2023

[Lithuania]

Member of Parliament: Rokas Žilinskas – 2008
Member of Parliament: Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius – 2020

[Luxembourg]

Mayor of Luxembourg City – Xavier Bettel – 2011
Minister of the Economy - Etienne Schneider - 2012
Prime Minister – Xavier Bettel – 2013
Deputy Prime Minister – Etienne Schneider – 2013

[Netherlands]

Member of Parliament – Coos Huijsen – 1972
Member of Parliament – Evelien Eshuis – 1982
King's Commissioner – Jan Franssen – 2000–2013
Mayor – Arno Brok – 2003–2010
Minister of Economic Affairs – Joop Wijn – 2006
Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food – Gerda Verburg – 2007
Minister of Finance – Jan Kees de Jager – 2010
Minister of Climate and Energy – Rob Jetten – 2022
Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations – Kajsa Ollongren – 2017
Member of Parliament – Vera Bergkamp – 2017
Member of Parliament – Henk Krol – 2017
Member of Parliament – Henk Nijboer – 2017
Member of Parliament – Sjoerd Potters – 2017
Member of Parliament – Lisa van Ginneken – 2021
City councillor municipality Apeldoorn – Lilian Haak – 2018
City councillor municipality Nijmegen – Michelle van Doorn – 2018
City councillor municipality Utrecht – Sophie Schers – 2018
City councillor municipality Utrecht – Corine van Dun – 2018
Speaker of the House of Representatives – Vera Bergkamp – 2021

[Norway]

Prime Minister – Per-Kristian Foss – 2002
Member of Parliament – Wenche Lowzow – 1977–1985, reelected 1981
Member of Parliament – Anders Hornslien – 1993–2001
City council chairman of Oslo – Erling Lae – 2000–2009
Member of Bergen city council and chairman of the Red Electoral Alliance and Red Party – Torstein Dahle – 1987–2018, 2003–2007, and 2007–2010 respectively
Minister of Finance – Per-Kristian Foss – 2001–2005
Minister of Health and Care Services – Bent Høie – 2013–2021

[Poland]

Members of the Sejm – Jerzy Andrzejewski and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz – 1952
Member of the State Council – Jerzy Zawieyski – 1956
City councilor – Krystian Legierski – 2010
Member of the Sejm – Anna Grodzka – 2011
Member of Sejm – Robert Biedroń – 2011
Mayor – Robert Biedroń – 2014
Sołtys – Łukasz Włodarczyk – 2017
Deputy mayor – Paweł Rabiej – 2018
Member of the European Parliament – Robert Biedroń – 2019
Leader of a political party – Robert Biedroń – 2019
Member of the Sejm – Anna Maria Żukowska and Hanna Gill-Piątek – 2019
Presidential candidate – Robert Biedroń – 2020
Member of a regional assembly – Hanna Gill-Piątek – 2024
City councillors – Zuzanna Bartel and Marta Magott – 2024
City councillor – Aleksandra Owca – 2024

[Portugal]

Member of Parliament – Miguel Vale de Almeida – 2009–2010
Member of the government – Graça Fonseca – 2015–2018
Member of the government – Graça Fonseca – 2018
Party deputy leader – Adolfo Mesquita Nunes – 2018
Member of the government – André Caldas – 2020
Member of the government - Paulo Rangel - 2024

[Serbia]

Prime Minister – Ana Brnabić – 2017
Government minister – Ana Brnabić – 2016–2017
Assistant Minister for International Cooperation in the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue – Boris Milićević – 2020

[Slovakia]

Member of Parliament – Edita Angyalová – 2002
Member of Parliament – Stanislav Fořt – 2011
Member of Bratislava city council – Lucia Plaváková – 2022
Mayor of the town Mýto pod Ďumbierom - Roman Švantner- 2006

[Spain]

Member of the Cortes – Jerónimo Saavedra – 1977–2004
Regional President Jerónimo Saavedra – 1983–1987, 1991–1993
Minister of Public Administrations and Minister of Education and Science- Jerónimo Saavedra
Town councillor Manuela Trasobares – 2007
Mayor of a Provincial Capital – Jerónimo Saavedra – 2007–2011
Member of the Cortes – Ángeles Álvarez – 2011
Mayor of an Autonomic Capital – Javier Maroto – 2011–2015
Minister of the Interior – Fernando Grande-Marlaska – 2018–present
Minister of Culture and Sport – Màxim Huerta – 2018
Minister of Territorial Policy and Civil Service – Miquel Iceta – 2021–2023

Autonomous regional parliament members

Minister of Health of Catalonia – Antoni Comín i Oliveres – 2016
Minister of Culture of Catalonia – Santi Vila – c. 2017
Minister of Culture and Education of Galicia – Jesús Vázquez Abad – 2007–2015
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia – Miquel Iceta PSC – 1999
Member of the Basque Parliament – Iñaki Oyarzábal – 1996
Member of the Assembly of Extremadura – Víctor Casco – 2014
Member of the Assembly of Madrid – Carla Antonelli – 2011
Member of the Corts Valencianes – Fran Ferri – 2011

[Sweden]

Member of Parliament – Kent Carlsson – 1991
Member of Parliament – Elisebeht Markström – 1995
Minister of the Environment – Andreas Carlgren – 2006
Minister of Migration Affairs – Tobias Billström – 2006
Minister for Schooling – Lina Axelsson Kihlblom – 2021

[Switzerland]

Member of Parliament – Claude Janiak – 1999
Member of Parliament – Marianne Huguenin – 2003
President of the National Council – Claude Janiak – 2005–2006
Speaker of House of Representatives – Claude Janiak – 2006
Cantonal Governments – Bernhard Pulver – 2006
Mayor – Corine Mauch – 2009
Cantonal Governments – Martin Klöti – 2012

Africa

[Mauritius]

Prime Minister of Mauritius – Gaëtan Duval – 1976 & 1983

[South Africa]

High Court Judge – Edwin Cameron – 1995
Member of Parliament – Mike Waters – 1999
Constitutional Court Justice – Edwin Cameron – 2008
Provincial Premier – Lynne Brown – 2009
Member of Parliament – Zakhele Mbhele – 2014
Cabinet minister – Lynne Brown – 2014
Municipal Councillor – Dimakatso Moloisane – 2015
Mayor – Chris Pappas – 2021

[Tunisia]

Leader of a political party – Mounir Baatour – 2011

Asia

[Hong Kong]

Legislative Council Member – Raymond Chan Chi-chuen – 2012
District Council Member — Jimmy Sham, Kenneth Cheung, and Alice Wei — 2019

[India]

Member of the Legislative Assembly – Shabnam Mausi – 1998–2003
Hereditary Prince – Manvendra Singh Gohil –
Mayor – Madhu Bai Kinnar – 4 January 2015

[Israel]

Member of Knesset (Parliament) – Uzi Even – 2003
Member of Knesset (Parliament) – Nitzan Horowitz – 2008
Member of Knesset (Parliament) – Itzik Shmuli – 2013
Member of Knesset (Parliament) – Amir Ohana – 2015
City councillor – Michal Eden – 1998
City councillor – Itai Pinkas and Yaniv Weizman
City councillor – Saar Netanel – 2003
City councillor – Ronit Ehrenfreund – 2003
Minister – Amir Ohana – 2019.
Leader of a political party – Nitzan Horowitz – 2019
Deputy mayor of Tel Aviv – Chen Arieli – 2019
Speaker of the Knesset – Amir Ohana – 2022

[Japan]

Ward councillor – Aya Kamikawa – 2003
Prefectural assembly member – Kanako Otsuji – 2005
Ward councillor – Taiga Ishikawa and Wataru Ishizaka – 2011
Member of the House of Councillors – Kanako Otsuji – 2013
City councillor – Tomoya Hosoda – 2017
Member of the Diet – Kanako Otsuji – 2017
City councillor – Maria Akasaka – 2019
Prefectural assembly member – Ayako Fuchigami – 2019
Member of the House of Councillors – Taiga Ishikawa – 2019

[Macau]

Chairperson of a political party – Jason Chao – 2010

[Nepal]

Constituent Assembly Member – Sunil Babu Pant – 2008

[Philippines]

Province Mayor – Arnold James Ysidoro – 1998–2004; 2010
Province Mayor – Florencio "Fawa" Abobo Batula – 2013
Province Vice Mayor Geefre "Kalay" Alonsabe 2022present
Board Member of 2nd District of Northern Samar Province – Florencio "Fawa" Abobo Batula – 2013–2016
City Councilor – Wenceslao Gakit – 1998–2007
Board Member of Sixth District of Cebu Province – Wenceslao Gakit – 2007–2010
City Councilor – Justo Justo – c. 1980s
Barangay Capitan of Angeles IV – Ruvic Rea – 2001
House of Representatives – Geraldine Roman – 2016

[Sri Lanka]

Member of the Sri Lanka Parliament – Mangala Samaraweera – 1989
Minister – Mangala Samaraweera – 2005
Governor – Niluka Ekanayake – 2016

[Taiwan]

Minister without Portfolio – Audrey Tang – 2016
Member of the Legislative Yuan – Huang Jie – 2024

[Thailand]

MP of House of Representatives of Mueang Nan District on the Provincial Administration Organization for Nan Province – Yollada Suanyot – 2012.
MP of House Representatives – Tanwarin Sukkhapisit – 2019.

Oceania

[Guam]

Lieutenant Governor – Josh Tenorio – 2019
Supreme Court Justice – Benjamin Cruz – 1997
Chief Justice – Benjamin Cruz −1999–2001
Member of Legislature – Benjamin Cruz – 2004

[New Zealand]

Member of Parliament – Marilyn Waring – 1975–1984
Member of Parliament – Chris Carter – 1993–2011
Mayor – Georgina Beyer – 1995–1999
Member of Parliament – Georgina Beyer – 1999–2007
Member of Parliament – Maryan Street – 2005–2014
Minister of Conservation – Chris Carter – 2002–2007
Minister of Ethnic Affairs – Chris Carter – 2002–2008
Minister of Local Government – Chris Carter – 2002–2005
Minister for Building Issues – Chris Carter – 2004–2005
Minister of Education - Chris Carter – 2007–2008
Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office – Chris Carter – 2007–2008
Minister of Housing and Minister of ACC – Maryan Street – 2007–2008
Attorney-General (New Zealand) and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations – Chris Finlayson – 2008–2017
High Court of New Zealand – Michael Muir (High Court Judge) 2014
Minister of Finance – Grant Robertson – 2017
Party leader – Damian Light – 2017
Deputy Prime Minister – Grant Robertson – 2020