Roberta Achtenberg is an American attorney and civil rights advocate who served as a commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She was previously assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,becoming the first openly lesbian or gay public official in the United States whose appointment to a federal position was confirmed by the United States Senate. This confirmation hearing garnered a lot of publicity,opposition,and support.
Elaine Noble is an American politician and LGBT activist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for two terms starting in January 1975. She was the first openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a state legislature. She served two terms as representative for the Fenway-Kenmore and Back Bay neighborhoods of Boston.
Haysel Diane Sands is an American politician from Montana. As a Democrat,she served in the Montana State Senate,representing the 49th senate district in Missoula,Montana.
Karla Lea Drenner is an American academic and politician from Georgia. A Democrat,she is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives representing the state's 85th district in Avondale Estates,DeKalb County.
Carl Michael Sciortino Jr. is an American politician serving as executive director of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts. A Democrat from Massachusetts,he represented the 34th Middlesex district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2005 to 2014. The district includes parts of Medford and Somerville. Sciortino was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2013 special election to succeed Ed Markey as a U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 5th district. He lost to Katherine Clark. His campaign’s television commercial with his father,a member of the Tea Party,received national publicity and went viral online.
Sarah K. Peake is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat,she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2007. She represents the Fourth Barnstable district,a Cape Cod district that includes her hometown of Provincetown. She previously served on the Provincetown Board of Selectmen.
Robert Meza is an American politician from Phoenix,Arizona who served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from District 30 from 2019 to 2023. He previously served in the Arizona State Senate from 2011 to 2019,and also served four prior terms in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011.
Cathy Connolly is an American professor and politician from Wyoming. A Democrat,she is a former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives representing the state's 13th district in Albany County. She is also a tenured professor at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.
Laurie A. Jinkins is an American politician,attorney,and public health official from Tacoma,Washington who serves as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 27th district. A Democrat,she has served as Speaker of the House since January 2020.
Boston is a hub of LGBT culture and LGBT activism in the United States,with a rich history dating back to the election of the nation's first openly gay state representative,Elaine Noble,in 1974. The city is home to notable organizations like GLAD and Fenway Health,and it played a pivotal role in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Various neighborhoods,including the South End,are known for their sizable LGBT populations,while numerous LGBT bars and entertainment venues offer spaces for community gatherings. Boston hosts an annual Pride Parade,and despite challenges,it continues to be a prominent event. Noteworthy organizations like The Welcoming Committee and the Boston Gay Men's Chorus contribute to the city's vibrant LGBT community,while The History Project preserves its rich history through an extensive LGBTQ archive.
Natalie M. Higgins is an American politician serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Natalie is a lifelong Leominster resident,Boston-educated attorney,and former non-profit director and rape crisis counselor.
Elizabeth Miranda is a Cape Verdean-American community organizer and politician. She is a state senator representing the Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Suffolk district after winning a five-way Democratic Primary Election,and advancing to an uncontested race in the 2022 Massachusetts general election. Prior to that,since January 2019,Miranda had served as the Democratic Massachusetts State Representative for the Fifth Suffolk district. Her district comprises parts of the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston. She is a member of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.
Nika C. Elugardo is an American attorney and politician. She served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing Boston and Brookline for two terms from 2019 to 2023.
Massachusetts House of Representatives' 11th Suffolk district in the United States is one of 160 legislative districts included in the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court. It covers part of the city of Boston in Suffolk County. Democrat Liz Malia of Jamaica Plain has represented the district since 1998.
The "rainbow wave" was a phrase coined in 2018 to describe the unparalleled number of openly LGBTQ+ candidates running for political office in the United States that year. The rainbow wave began during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections when over 400 LGBTQ+ candidates ran for office and a record-breaking 244 were elected.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) persons have been present throughout the history of the US state of Massachusetts. A 2018 report by Boston Indicators and The Fenway Institute found that Massachusetts had the second-largest LGBT population in the country by percentage,behind Vermont,at roughly 5% of the state population.
