Preceded by Thomas B. Sharp Name Karen Peterson | Spouse(s) Vikki Bandy | |
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Residence Stanton, Delaware, United States | ||
Karen Peterson is an American politician who formerly served in the Delaware General Assembly as a State Senator. First elected in 2002, she is a member of the Democratic Party. Peterson served in the Senate until 2017.
On May 7, 2013, Peterson came out as lesbian during Senate debate on same-sex marriage in Delaware, becoming the state's first openly LGBT legislator. At that time, she had been with her partner Vikki Bandy for 24 years, and the two had entered a civil union when Delaware legalized them the year before. The two were married on July 1, 2013, becoming the first same-sex couple to convert their existing civil union into marriage in Delaware.
References
Karen E. Peterson Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA