This is a list of political offices which have been held by a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person, with details of the first 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.
The year in brackets refers to the year which the officeholder was elected as an openly LGBT person. If he or she came out during term of office it is referred to after the year in brackets.
It is ordered by country, by dates of appointment. Former countries are also to be listed.
European Commission
European Commissioner for Trade: Peter Mandelson – 2004 (British)
European Parliament
Austria: Ulrike Lunacek – 2009
Denmark: Torben Lund – 1999–2005
Germany: Lissy Gröner – 1989
Italy: Gianni Vattimo – 1999
Netherlands: Herman Verbeek (PPR) – 1984
Spain: José María Mendiluce Pereiro (PSOE-later joined the Greens) 1999–2004 – came out 2003
United Kingdom:
Tom Spencer – 1999, came out as gay
Nikki Sinclaire – came out in 2004 as lesbian, came out in 2013 as transgender woman
Argentina
First gay congressperson: Senator Osvaldo López – 27 July 2011 (married to a man)
First gay deputy to the Buenos Aires City Legislature: María Rachid – 2011
Bolivia
First gay congressperson: Manuel Canelas - elected 2014
Brazil
First transgender person elected (Alderperson): Kátia Tapety – Colônia do Piauí – 1992
First transgender vice-mayor: Kátia Tapety – 2004
First gay congressperson: Federal Deputy Clodovil Hernandes – 2006
First transgender person elected as Alderperson in a state capital: Leo Kret – Salvador – 2008.
First openly LGBT activist congressperson: Federal Deputy Jean Wyllys – 2010
Chile
First transsexual councilmember: Alejandra González - elected 2004
First openly gay councilman: Jaime Parada - elected 2012
First transgender councilmember: Zuliana Araya - elected 2012
Chamber of Deputies:
Claudio Arriagada – elected 2013
Guillermo Ceroni - elected 2013, came out in 2015.
Colombia
Cabinet: Cecilia Álvarez-Correa, Minister of Transport 2012–2014, Minister of Trade and Industry since 2014 (came out in 2014)
Cabinet: Gina Parody, Minister of Education since 2014
Senate: Claudia López 2014
House of Representatives: Angélica Lozano Correa – elected 2014
National Agency: Brigitte Baptiste (trans woman), Director of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Biodiversity
Costa Rica
House of Representatives: Carmen Muñoz - elected 2010
Cuba
First transgender person elected to office: Adela Hernandez – 2012
Ecuador
Minister of Health: Carina Vance Mafla - elected 2012
El Salvador
Mayor of Intipucá: Hugo Salinas - elected 2009
Guatemala
First lesbian congressperson: Sandra Morán - elected 2015
Mexico
Federal Deputy (members of the lower federal chamber):
Female: Patria Jiménez – 1997.
Male: David Sánchez Camacho – 2006.
Local Deputy (members of a state congress or the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District):
Female: Enoé Uranga – 2000 (Federal District).
Male: David Sánchez Camacho – 1997 (Federal District).
Minister for Agriculture: Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio – 2000 came out later 2000 – again Minister of Environment in 2006 (bisexual)
President of Region:
President of Apulia: Nichi Vendola – 2005
President of Sicily Rosario Crocetta – 2012
Latvia
Member of Government:
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Edgars Rinkēvičs – 2014
Lithuania
Member of Parliament: Rokas Žilinskas – 2008
Luxembourg
Prime Minister: Xavier Bettel
Deputy Prime Minister: Etienne Schneider
Mayor of Luxembourg City: Xavier Bettel
Netherlands
Member of Parliament:
Male: Coos Huijsen (CHU) – came out 1977 (world's first openly gay MP)
Female: Evelien Eshuis(nl) (CPN) – 1982
Member of Government:
Male: Minister of Economic Affairs: Joop Wijn (CDA) – 2006
Male: Minister of Finance: Jan Kees de Jager (CDA) – 2010
Female: Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food: Gerda Verburg (CDA) – 2007
(note: Ien Dales' (PvdA, Minister of the Interior) sexual orientation was only revealed after her death)
Norway
Member of Parliament:
Female: Wenche Lowzow – 1977–1985 came out 1979, reelected 1981
Male: Anders Hornslien – 1993 – 2001, came out 1994
Member of Government:
Minister of Finance: Per Kristian Foss – 2001–2005
City council chairman of Oslo: Erling Lae – 2000–2009
Poland
City councillor, and first openly LGBT holder of any office in Poland: Krystian Legierski – 2010
First openly gay member of parliament and current Mayor of City Słupsk: Robert Biedroń – 2011 2014
First openly transsexual member of parliament: Anna Grodzka – 2011
Portugal
Member of Parliament:
Male: Miguel Vale de Almeida – 2009–2010
Serbia
State attorney:
Zagorka Dolovac 2010 –
Adviser to the Minister of European Integration:
Boris Milićević 2013 – 2014
Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government:
Ana Brnabić 2016 -
Slovakia
Member of Parliament:
Male: Stanislav Fořt – came out 2011
Soviet Union
People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs: Georgy Chicherin (1918–1930)
Spain
Member of the Cortes: Ángeles Álvarez Álvarez (PSOE) – Member of the Congress of Deputies since 2011. She came out in 2013.
Member of the Cortes: Jerónimo Saavedra Acevedo (PSOE) – Has been a member of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate since 1977 until 2004 with some interruptions – came out 2000
Autonomic President: Jeronimo Saavedra Acevedo, President of the Canary Islands 1983–1987 and 1991–1993
Member of Government:
Minister of Public Administrations and of Education and Science: Jerónimo Saavedra (Public Administrations, 1993–1995 and of Education and Science 1995–1996)
Mayor of a Provincial Capital: Jerónimo Saavedra, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Incumbent since 2007
Mayor of an Autonomic Capital: Javier Maroto (PP), Vitoria-Gasteiz Incumbent 2011-2015 - Member of Basque Parliament since 2012, Sectorial Under-secretary of the Spanish People's Party since 2015
Transgender town councillor: Manuela Trasobares (ARDE) 2007 – at Geldo, Castellon
Autonomous regional parliament members
Minister of Health of Catalonia: Antoni Comín i Oliveres (Together for Yes)
Minister of Culture of Catalonia: Santi Vila (Together For Yes - CDC)
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia when openly gay: Miquel Iceta PSC, since 1999
Member of the Basque Parliament: Iñaki Oyarzábal, elected 1996, Secretary General of the Spanish People's Party of the Basque Country, 2008–2014
Member of the Assembly of Extremadura: Víctor Casco, come out 2014
Member of the Assembly of Madrid: Carla Antonelli, transsexual woman and LGBT rights activist who was instrumental in the approval of the Spanish Gender Identity Law.
Sweden
Member of Parliament:
Male: Kent Carlsson (s) – came out 1991, died in 1993
Female: Elisebeht Markström (s) – came out publicly in 2006
Member of Government:
Minister of the Environment: Andreas Carlgren (c) – 2006
Minister of Migration Affairs: Tobias Billström (m) – 2006 (bisexual)
Switzerland
Member of Parliament:
Male: Claude Janiak – elected 1999 – speaker of House of Representatives 2006
Female: Doris Stump – elected 2003
President of the National Council: Claude Janiak – 2005/2006
Cantonal Governments:
Male: Martin Klöti – elected 2012 – Member of the Executive Council of St. Gallen
Male: Bernhard Pulver – elected 2006 – Member of the Executive Council of Bern
Mayor of a large city:
Female: Corine Mauch – elected 2009 – Mayor of Zurich (largest city in Switzerland), first openly gay mayor of a large Swiss city
Legislative Council Member (Gay Male): Raymond Chan Chi-chuen – 2012
India
First transgender person to be elected to public office: Shabnam Mausi was an elected member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2003.
First transgender mayor of a city: Madhu Bai Kinnar was elected as the mayor of Raigarh, Chhattisgarh on 4 January 2015.
Israel
Members of Knesset (Parliament):
Uzi Even (elected 2003)
Nitzan Horowitz (elected 2008)
Itzik Shmuli (elected 2013)
Amir Ohana (elected 2015)
City councillors:
Tel-Aviv: Michal Eden (Lesbian, elected 1998), Itai Pinkas (first gay man; elected 2003), Yaniv Weizman (elected 2008)
Jerusalem: Saar Nathaniel (elected 2003)
Japan
Member of the Diet, Upper House (Lesbian): Kanako Otsuji – 2013
Osaka
Prefectural assembly member (Lesbian): Kanako Otsuji – 2005
Tokyo
Ward councillor (Transgender): Aya Kamikawa (Setagaya) – 2003
Ward councillor (Gay male): Taiga Ishikawa (Toshima) and Wataru Ishizaka (Nakano) – both elected 2011
Municipality of Leyte, Leyte Province Mayor (Gay Male): Arnold James Ysidoro 1998–2004; 2010
Municipality of Palapag, Northern Samar(2013); Board Member of 2nd District of Northern Samar Province (2013–2016) (Transgender Woman): Florencio "Fawa" Abobo Batula
City Councilor of Mandaue City (1998–2007); Board Member of Gth District of Cebu Province (2007–2010) (Gay Male): Wenceslao Gakit
City Councilor of Pasay City (1980s) (Gay Male):Panfilo C Justo/ Justo Justo
Barangay Capitan of Angeles IV, Tayabas, Quezon Province (2001) (Trans woman):Ruvic Rea
House of Representatives (2016) (Trans woman): Geraldine Roman
Taiwan
Minister without Portfolio (2016) (Trans woman): Audrey Tang (World's first)
Guam
Member of Legislature: Benjamin Cruz – 2004
Supreme Court Justice: Benjamin Cruz – 1997, Chief Justice 1999–2001 (came out 1995)
New Zealand
Member of Parliament:
Female: Marilyn Waring (National) 1975–1984 (outed during office)
Female: Maryan Street (Labour) 2005–2014 (outed before office)
Male: Minister of Conservation, Minister of Ethnic Affairs, Minister of Local Government, Minister for Building Issues, Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for the Education Review Office: Chris Carter (Labour) 2002-8
Female: Minister of Housing and Minister of ACC: Maryan Street (Labour) 2007-8
