“This year’s Out for America report shows the resilience of our LGBTQ+ elected leaders. Despite hateful rhetoric plaguing the 2024 election cycle, LGBTQ+ elected officials won at the ballot box and made history. We know these exceptionally talented public servants are exactly what we need as the antidote to combat the anti-equality virus in our halls of power.”
– President and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute Evan Low.
Media requests can be directed to
Orie Givens, Vice President of Communications
orie.givens@victoryfund.org
LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s Out for America report is an annual snapshot of the number of known out LGBTQ+ elected officials in the United States and their demographics. The Out for America 2025 report – released in June 2025 – reviews LGBTQ+ elected representation as of May 5, 2025, when the data is frozen. Any officials elected after this date are not included in these calculations.
LGBTQ+ Victory Institute tracks openly LGBTQ+ elected officials in the U.S. throughout the year at outforamerica.org. The Out for America report is compiled using data submitted by elected officials directly in addition to other primary sources of information like their websites and social media. LGBTQ+ Victory Institute uses secondary sources such as media coverage and partner records to validate the information included in the Out for America Report. The Institute team conducts thorough outreach to community organizations, political parties and its network of elected leaders and supporters to assist in identifying or confirming the information included in this report.
LGBTQ+ representation by the numbers (as of May 5, 2025)
There are 1,334 known out LGBTQ+ elected officials in the U.S.
0.26% of U.S. elected officials are LGBTQ+ and out.
There was a 2.4% increase in out LGBTQ+ elected officials since 2024.
An estimated 46,996 more out LGBTQ+ people must be elected to achieve equitable representation.
Between June 2024 and May 2025:
- LGBTQ+ elected officials increased by 2.4%, with 1,334 currently serving.
- LGBTQ+ representation in Congress grew by 8%, with a decline in Senate seats and an increase in House seats.
- LGBTQ+ elected officials of color overall increased by 6.92% since 2024
- AAPI LGBTQ+ elected officials increased the most since 2024, growing by 32.6%.
- Pansexual representation in public office increased by 17% and queer elected officials increased by 19%.
- Transgender women’s representation in public office stayed the same, while transgender men increased by 1, growing by 12.5%.
Since 2017:
- LGBTQ+ representation among elected officials has grown by 198% (448 to 1,334)
- The number of LGBTQ+ state legislators has grown by 123% (109 to 243)
- Transgender representation has increased by 783%
- Transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming representation in public office has increased by 1800%
- LGBTQ+ elected officials of color have increased by 420.7% (92 to 477)
* According to Gallup in February 2025, 9.3% of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual. There are 519,682 U.S. elected positions, according to Becoming a Candidate, Jennifer L. Lawless. Therefore 46,996 LGBTQ+ elected officials would constitute equitable representation
Elected Positions
LGBTQ+ people continue to be heavily underrepresented at all levels of elected office, with some moderate gains between 2024 and 2025. As the population of out LGBTQ+ people has increased, the gap in LGBTQ+ elected representation widens. The majority of LGBTQ+ elected officials are local, followed by those serving as state legislators.
In 2025, Congress had the largest cohort of LGBTQ+ U.S. House representatives, with 12 members, representing a 33% increase over the 2024 class. The largest percentage decrease between 2024 and 2025 is in representation in the U.S. Senate, with only one senator, Tammy Baldwin, representing the LGBTQ+ community in the upper chamber. Two LGBTQ+ senators left office in 2024, decreasing the count 67% (3 to 1). The number of out LGBTQ+ people in statewide offices increased by 22% between 2024 and 2025, a net gain of two elected officials.
out governors currently serve
The U.S. must elect 2 more LGBTQ+ governors for equitable representation (a total of 5 out of 55 state and territory governors).
out LGBTQ+ statewide executives currently serve
The U.S. must elect 22 more LGBTQ+ statewide executives for equitable representation (a total of 33 out of 358 state- and territory-wide executives).
out LGBTQ+ U.S. senator currently serves
The U.S. must elect 8 more LGBTQ+ U.S. senators for equitable representation (a total of 9 out of 100 U.S. senators).
U.S. House members currently serve
The U.S. must elect 29 more LGBTQ+ members of the U.S. House for equitable representation (a total of 41 out of 441 U.S. representatives or delegates).
out LGBTQ+ state legislators currently serve
States, territories and the District of Columbia must elect 461 more out LGBTQ+ state and territory legislators for equitable representation (a total of 704 out of 7,572 legislators).
out LGBTQ+ mayors currently serve
The U.S. must elect 55 more LGBTQ+ mayors for equitable representation (a total of 121 out of approximately 1,300).
out LGBTQ+ local officials currently serve
The U.S. must elect ten of thousands more LGBTQ+ local officials for equitable representation.
out LGBTQ+ elected judicial officials currently serve
The U.S. must elect more than 2,000 LGBTQ+ local and state judges for equitable representation.
Race & Ethnicity
LGBTQ+ Asian and Pacific Islander elected officials increased by 32.6% between 2024 and 2025, with 57 total LGBTQ+ AAPI elected officials. LGBTQ+ elected officials reporting multiracial identity also grew by 28.6% since 2024, representing 3.9% of all LGBTQ+ elected officials. LGBTQ+ Latinx representatives are the largest non-white group with 14.1% of all LGBTQ+ elected officials, but their count remains unchanged from 2024 at 193.
Black/African American LGBTQ+ elected officials represent 11.1% of all LGBTQ+ elected officials, with 152, a 4.1% increase from 2024. Overall, LGBTQ+ representatives of color increased 6.92% between 2024 and 2025, while the number of white LGBTQ+ elected officials decreased by 2.6% between 2024 and 2025.
From 2024 to 2025, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute recorded a:
increase in LGBTQ+ elected officials of color (448 to 477)
decrease in white LGBTQ+ elected officials (856 to 834)
increase in Latinx LGBTQ+ elected officials (193)
increase in Black LGBTQ+ elected officials (146 to 152)
increase in AAPI LGBTQ+ elected officials (43 to 56)
increase in multiracial LGBTQ+ elected officials (42-54)
Note: An LGBTQ+ elected official may appear in more than one race or ethnicity category, resulting in totals higher than the count of elected officials. 59 individuals reported unknown race or ethnicity. Of the 1,334 known out LGBTQ+ elected officials as of May 5, 2025, 1,274 reported race or ethnicity information.
Gender Identity & Expression
LGBTQ+ elected officials continue to represent the full diversity of the gender spectrum. However, the majority of LGBTQ+ elected officials identify as cisgender (85.9%), while transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary elected officials represent around 9% of the total.
The number of gender non-conforming elected officials increased by 18.8 percent from 16 to 19 between 2024 and 2025. The number of nonbinary, transgender/nonbinary and genderqueer/nonbinary elected officials remains the same between 2024 and 2025 at 39. While transgender women had no increase between 2024 and 2025, transgender men increased by 1. Cisgender men increased slightly from 681 to 688, while cisgender women decreased slightly from 475 in 2024 to 473 in 2025.
of LGBTQ+ elected officials are cisgender
of LGBTQ+ elected officials are transgender or non-binary
increase in non-binary elected officials
increase in transgender elected officials
decrease in LGBTQ+ women elected officials
increase in GBTQ+ men elected officials
Notes: Similar to race and sexual orientation, one may select more than one gender identity, which may result in percentage totals above 100%. 68 individuals have an unknown or unreported gender identity. Of the 1,334 known out LGBTQ+ elected officials as of May 5, 2025, 1,265 reported their gender identity. For reporting and comparison, ‘nonbinary’ includes transgender-nonbinary and genderqueer-nonbinary elected officials.
Sexual Orientation
The majority of LGBTQ+ elected officials report gay (46.3%) and lesbian (19.5%) identity, representing nearly 2/3 of all LGBTQ+ elected officials in 2025. From June 2024 to May 2025, pansexual and queer LGBTQ+ elected officials were the highest growing groups, 17% and 19% respectively, similar to last year. Bisexuals grew at a slightly lower rate this year, at 8%, compared to 20.7% in 2024. Lesbians were the only sexual orientation group that declined this year, declining 7% between 2024 and 2025 to 268 from 287.
increase in pansexual elected officials
increase in queer elected officials
increase in bisexual elected officials
decrease in lesbian elected officials
increase in gay men elected officials
increase in asexual elected officials
Note: 41 of the 1,247 LGBTQ+ elected officials who reported sexual orientation reported more than one sexual orientation. 86 elected officials have an unidentified or unreported sexual orientation. Of the 1,334 known out LGBTQ+ elected officials, 1,247 reported sexual orientation.
Party Affiliation
Consistent with prior years, LGBTQ+ elected officials are overwhelmingly Democrats, and Democrats are the only party affiliation that grew between 2024 and 2025. Nearly 9 out of every 10 LGBTQ+ elected officials report Democratic affiliation (89.0%), while 2.7% are Republicans. 2.4% are independents.
Party Affiliation of U.S. LGBTQ+ Elected Officials by Year
Out for America Map
Our Out for America map is the most comprehensive database on known out LGBTQ+ elected officials in the United States. The map is updated daily to show the current state of LGBTQ+ representation in elected government.
First published in November 2017, Out for America is LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s annual analysis of the state of LGBTQ+ representation in America. While the increase in LGBTQ+ elected officials each year is primarily due to the election of new LGBTQ+ individuals, part of the increase can also be attributed to people coming out while in office and the Victory Institute’s efforts to identify more LGBTQ+ people already in elected office.
You can view previous Out for America reports below:
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