Founding class includes Barney Frank, Harvey Milk, Deborah Batts & Marielle Franco
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is Lifetime Achievement inductee
Washington, DC – On Sunday, May 2 during a virtual event, LGBTQ Victory Institute will launch its LGBTQ Victory Hall of Fame to honor the LGBTQ elected officials, appointed officials and candidates who made a lasting impact on LGBTQ political history. During a ceremony at the event, 20 members will be inducted as part of the Founding Class and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin will be inducted as a Lifetime Achievement honoree. The ceremony will include short interviews with many of the inductees.
The One Victory Board of Directors voted to induct the 20 members of the Founding Class, who had to be former LGBTQ elected officials, appointed officials or candidates to be eligible. Each year in December, three more LGBTQ leaders who meet the criteria will be inducted to honor their contributions and legacy. Future inductees may be current or former LGBTQ elected or appointed officials whose candidacies and public service careers advanced equality.
The 20 inductees of the Founding Class are (in alphabetical order):
Roberta Achtenberg
Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1993 – 1995)
First out LGBTQ Senate-confirmed presidential appointee.
Deborah Batts
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (1994 – 2020)
First out LGBTQ federal court judge.
Simone Bell
Georgia House of Representatives (2009 – 2015)
First out Black lesbian elected to a U.S. state legislature.
Tom Duane
New York state Senate (1999 – 2012)
First out LGBTQ and first out HIV-positive member of the New York state Senate.
Eric Fanning
United States Secretary of the Army (2016 – 2017)
First out LGBTQ head of any service in the U.S. military.
Marielle Franco
City Councillor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2017 – 2018)
One of the first Black out LGBTQ elected officials in Brazil.
Barney Frank
U.S. House of Representatives (1981 – 2013)
One of the first out LGBTQ members of Congress.
Neil Giuliano
Mayor of Tempe (1994 – 2004)
One of the first out LGBTQ mayors in the U.S.
Sherry Harris
Seattle City Council (1992 – 1995)
First Black out lesbian elected in the U.S.
Jim Hormel
United States Ambassador to Luxembourg (1999 – 2001)
First out LGBTQ U.S. ambassador.
Kim Coco Iwamoto
Hawaii Board of Education (2006 – 2011)
First out trans person to elected to a state office.
Kathy Kozachenko
Ann Arbor City Council (1974 – 1976)
First out LGBTQ person ever elected in the U.S.
Harvey Milk
San Francisco Board of Supervisors (1978)
First out LGBTQ person elected in California.
Elaine Noble
Massachusetts House of Representatives (1975 – 1979)
First out LGBTQ person elected to a state legislature.
Annise Parker
Mayor of Houston (2010 – 2016)
First out LGBTQ mayor of a top-10 American city.
John Pérez
Member of the California State Assembly (2008 – 2014)
First out LGBTQ speaker of the California state Assembly.
José Sarria
Candidate for San Francisco Board of Supervisors (1961)
First out LGBTQ person to ever run for office.
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Prime Minister of Iceland (2009 – 2013)
First out LGBTQ person in the world elected head of government.
Allan Spear
Minnesota state Senate (1973 – 2001)
First LGBTQ state legislator to come out while in office and first to serve as a state legislative chamber leader.
Keith St. John
Albany Common Council Alderman (1990 – 1998)
First Black out LGBTQ person elected in the United States.
“The founding class of the LGBTQ Victory Hall of Fame represents the vanguard of a revolution in U.S. and global politics – the people who stood up to serve openly when it meant harassment, threats or worse,” said Chris Abele, Chair of the One Victory Board of Directors. “These courageous leaders were the first out leaders in their cities or agencies, the first to sit for grilling by the U.S. Senate and the first to lead state legislatures or countries. The launch of this Hall of Fame is an opportunity to ensure their contributions are forever remembered and to honor the future leaders who will advance representation for our community.”
The ceremony to honor the inductees will take place during LGBTQ Victory Fund’s 30th Anniversary Celebration presented by DaVita – a virtual event on May 2 at 7:30pm ET.
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About Victory Institute
LGBTQ Victory Institute works to achieve and sustain global equality through leadership development, training, and convening to increase the number, expand the diversity, and ensure the success of openly LGBTQ elected and appointed officials at all levels of government.
