List of openly LGBT heads of state and government
This is a list of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trans (LGBTQ ) people who have been the head of state or government of a country or a subnational division such as a state, a province, or a territory. Openly LGBT people have served as national heads of state or government in Andorra , Belgium , France , Iceland , Ireland , Latvia , Luxembourg , San Marino , and Serbia .
Heads of state
Heads and deputy heads of government
Deputy heads of government
Some openly LGBT people have also served as deputy prime ministers , or an analogous office, who may take the position of the acting head of government when they are temporarily absent.
Sub-national leaders
Denotes
incumbent head of sub-national government
Name
Portrait
Entity
Country
Office
Political party
Mandate start
Mandate end
Term length
Sexual orientation/ gender identity
Don Dunstan
South Australia
Australia
Premier
Labor Party
1 June 1967
17 April 1968
321 days
Bisexual
2 June 1970
15 February 1979
8 years, 258 days
Jerónimo Saavedra [ a]
Canary Islands
Spain
President
Socialist Workers' Party
29 November 1982
4 July 1987
4 years, 217 days
Gay [ 11]
11 July 1991
2 April 1993
1 year, 265 days
Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal
Valle del Cauca
Colombia
Governor
Independent
1 January 1998
27 July 1999
1 year, 207 days
Gay
Elio Di Rupo
Wallonia
Belgium
Minister-President
Socialist Party
15 July 1999
4 April 2000
264 days
Gay[ 5]
6 October 2005
20 July 2007
1 year, 287 days
13 September 2019
15 July 2024
4 years, 306 days
Jan Franssen
South Holland
Netherlands
King's Commissioner
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
3 May 2000
1 January 2014
13 years, 243 days
Gay[ 12]
Erling Lae
Vestfold
Norway
Governor
Conservative Party
1 June 2010
30 June 2016
6 years, 29 days
Gay[ 13]
Klaus Wowereit
Berlin
Germany
Governing Mayor
Social Democratic Party
16 June 2001
11 December 2014
13 years, 178 days
Gay[ 14]
Ole von Beust
Hamburg
Germany
First Mayor
Christian Democratic Union
31 October 2001
25 August 2010
8 years, 298 days
Gay[ 15]
Jim McGreevey
New Jersey
United States
Governor
Democratic Party
15 January 2002
15 November 2004
2 years, 305 days
Gay
Nichi Vendola
Apulia
Italy
President
Communist Refoundation Party
4 April 2005
1 June 2015
10 years, 58 days
Gay[ 16]
Clemens Cornielje
Gelderland
Netherlands
King's Commissioner
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
31 August 2005
6 February 2019
13 years, 159 days
Gay[ 17]
Bernhard Pulver [de ]
Bern
Switzerland
Member of the Executive Council
Green Party
1 June 2006
31 May 2018
11 years, 364 days
Gay[ 18]
Lynne Brown
Western Cape
South Africa
Premier
African National Congress
25 July 2008
6 May 2009
315 days
Lesbian [ 19]
Allan Bell
Isle of Man
United Kingdom
Chief Minister
Independent
11 October 2011
4 October 2016
4 years, 359 days
Gay[ 20]
Martin Klöti [de ]
St. Gallen
Switzerland
Member of the Executive Council
The Liberals
1 June 2012
31 May 2020
7 years, 365 days
Gay[ 21]
Cian O'Callaghan
Fingal
Ireland
Mayor
Labour Party
22 June 2012
15 June 2013
358 days
Gay[ 22]
Rosario Crocetta
Sicily
Italy
President
Democratic Party
10 November 2012
18 November 2017
5 years, 8 days
Gay[ 23]
Kathleen Wynne
Ontario
Canada
Premier
Liberal Party
11 February 2013
29 June 2018
5 years, 116 days
Lesbian
Fintan Warfield
South Dublin
Ireland
Mayor
Sinn Féin
6 June 2014
25 June 2015
1 year, 19 days
Gay[ 24]
Andrew Barr
Australian Capital Territory
Australia
Chief Minister
Labor Party
11 December 2014
Incumbent
10 years, 8 days
Gay
Kate Brown
Oregon
United States
Governor
Democratic Party
18 February 2015
9 January 2023
7 years, 325 days
Bisexual
Wade MacLauchlan
Prince Edward Island
Canada
Premier
Liberal Party
23 February 2015
9 May 2019
4 years, 75 days
Gay
Niluka Ekanayake
Central Province
Sri Lanka
Governor
Independent
17 March 2016
11 April 2018
2 years, 25 days
Trans woman
Sabaragamuwa Province
Governor
12 April 2018
31 December 2018
263 days
Arno Brok
Friesland
Netherlands
King's Commissioner
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
1 March 2017
Incumbent
7 years, 293 days
Gay[ 25]
Andy Street
West Midlands
United Kingdom
Mayor
Conservative Party
8 May 2017
5 May 2024
6 years, 363 days
Gay[ 26]
Thierry Apothéloz [fr ]
Geneva
Switzerland
Member of the Council of State
Social Democratic Party
1 June 2018
Incumbent
6 years, 201 days
Gay[ 27]
Eduardo Leite
Rio Grande do Sul
Brazil
Governor
Social Democracy Party
1 January 2019
31 March 2022
3 years, 89 days
Gay
1 January 2023
Incumbent
1 year, 353 days
Fátima Bezerra
Rio Grande do Norte
Brazil
Governor
Workers' Party
1 January 2019
Incumbent
5 years, 353 days
Lesbian
Jared Polis
Colorado
United States
Governor
Democratic Party
8 January 2019
Incumbent
5 years, 346 days
Gay
Gustavo Melella
Tierra del Fuego
Argentina
Governor
FORJA Concertation Party
17 December 2019
Incumbent
5 years, 2 days
Gay
Claudia López Hernández
Bogotá
Colombia
Mayor
Green Alliance
1 January 2020
31 December 2023
3 years, 364 days
Lesbian
Bent Høie
Rogaland
Norway
Governor
Conservative Party
1 November 2021
Incumbent
3 years, 48 days
Gay[ 28]
Emma Murphy
South Dublin
Ireland
Mayor
Fianna Fáil
24 June 2022
29 June 2023
1 year, 5 days
Lesbian[ 29]
Maura Healey
Massachusetts
United States
Governor
Democratic Party
5 January 2023
Incumbent
1 year, 349 days
Lesbian
Tina Kotek
Oregon
United States
Governor
Democratic Party
9 January 2023
Incumbent
1 year, 345 days
Lesbian
Karl Love
Isle of Wight
United Kingdom
Chair
Independent
15 May 2024
Incumbent
218 days
Gay[ 30]
^ Publicly came out after retirement, although while being a senator .
Others
Politicians who were closeted while in office and never officially came out or were outed only after their deaths or retirement include:
Frederick the Great , King of Prussia between 1740 and 1786, was officially married to Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern , but he is considered to have been homosexual by most historians. He had many suspected relationships with men and wrote homoerotic poetry. He never came out, although he did not do much to hide it.[ 31] After his death, many historians tried to pass off his homosexuality as a rumor, but it is now widely accepted.
William II , King of the Netherlands between 1840 and 1849 and head of government until the constitutional reform of 1848 , was either gay or bisexual ; he had been blackmailed because of his sexual orientation.[ 32] [ 33]
Ludwig II , King of Bavaria between 1864 and 1886. Ludwig never married nor had any known mistresses. His diary, private letters, and other documents reveal his strong homosexual desires,[ 34] which he struggled to suppress to remain true to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church . Throughout his reign, Ludwig had a succession of close friendships with men, including his aide-de-camp Bavarian Prince Paul von Thurn und Taxis , his chief equerry and master of the horse , Richard Hornig, Hungarian theater actor Josef Kainz , and courtier Alfons Weber.[ 37] Letters from Ludwig reveal that the quartermaster of the royal stables, Karl Hesselschwerdt, acted as his male procurer .[ 38] [ 39] [ 40]
Prince Maximilian of Baden , German Chancellor in 1918. He was gay, and was listed as such in a document by the Baden criminal police when he was young, but married Princess Marie Louise of Hanover . He is said to have been in a relationship with geologist Wilhelm Paulcke [de ] from at least 1912.[ 41]
Gustaf V , King of Sweden between 1910 and 1950, was either gay or bisexual. After his death, restaurateur Kurt Haijby revealed that he and the King had had a homosexual relationship. Haijby had threatened to reveal the relationship but was paid by the crown to keep silent.[ 42]
Richard Hatfield , Premier of New Brunswick between 1970 and 1987, never officially came out during his lifetime; his sexual orientation only began to be discussed on the record in media and biographical sources after his death.[ 43] [ 44] [ 45] [ 46] [ 47]
Canaan Banana , the first President of Zimbabwe between 1980 and 1987, was found to be either gay or bisexual in 1997, despite his denial. After a highly publicized trial, he was convicted in 1998 of 11 counts of sodomy and "unnatural acts", for which he was imprisoned for six months.[ 48] [ 49] [ 50] [ 51] [ 52]
Kārlis Ulmanis , the authoritarian leader of Latvia between 1934 and 1940, was unmarried and his possible sexual orientation was actively discussed both during his reign and after the restoration of Latvia's independence.[ 53] [ 54] [ 55]
See also
References
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^ Eglitis, Aaron (31 May 2023). "EU's First Openly Gay Head of State Elected by Latvian Assembly" . Bloomberg . Retrieved 31 May 2023 .
^
^ a b Vander Taelen, Luckas (10 December 2011). "Can Belgium's new prime minister keep living the dream?" . The Guardian . Retrieved 6 June 2017 .
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^ Biseau, Grégoire. "Stéphane Séjourné and Gabriel Attal, a couple at the heart of power" . Le Monde . Retrieved 9 January 2024 .
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^ Slingerland, Monic (23 May 2009). " 'Ik ervoer warmte en openheid' " . Trouw (in Dutch).
^ Mo, Ida Svingen (18 June 2007). "Lae hyllet i Berlin" . Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 10 January 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010 .
^ Witting, Volker (9 June 2021). " "Ich bin schwul - und das ist auch gut so!" " . Deutsche Welle (in German).
^ "Ole von Beust heiratet 22-jährigen Ex-Praktikanten" . Welt (in German). 25 June 2013.
^ Boni, Frederico (19 August 2019). "Nichi Vendola: "Sono un padre innamorato, al Governo incolti e irresponsabili" " . Gay.it (in Italian).
^ "Clemens Cornielje was een 'warm mens' én een kat met negen levens" (in Dutch). Arnhem. 17 March 2022.
^ Geister, Frank (15 October 2018). "«Es geht um die Frage, wie man liebt»" . Der Bund (in German).
^ Smith, David (26 May 2014). "South Africa appoints first lesbian to cabinet" . The Guardian .
^ "Chief Minister comes out to UK newspaper" . Manx Radio . 5 October 2015.
^ Elsener, Marcel. "«Bis in jeder Familie einer schwul ist»" . Tagblatt (in German).
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^ "Rosario Crocetta: "Sono gay, ma se potessi tornare indietro non lo direi più" " . il Fatto Nissèno (in Italian). Retrieved 5 September 2024 .
^ "New mayor of South Dublin says he's proud to be 'an openly LGBT mayor' " . The Journal . 6 June 2014.
^ "SGP steunt burgemeester Dordrecht" . Rijnmond (in Dutch). 11 January 2010.
^ Rowe, Nathan (14 June 2022). "Andy Street didn't realise he was gay until 30 - and talks of 'intense friendship' with MP Michael Fabricant" . Express & Star .
^ Hugo, Frédéric (1 November 2013). "«J'ai décidé de ne rien cacher»" . 360.ch (in French).
^ "Bent Høie og ektemannen går fra hverandre etter 26 år" . Nettavisen (in Norwegian). 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022 .
^ Wilson, Jade (24 June 2022). "Fianna Fáil councillor becomes first LGBTQ+ woman elected as mayor of local authority" . The Irish Times .
^ Little, Lori (26 May 2024). "New Isle of Wight Council chair Karl Love will champion inclusivity" . Isle of Wight County Press .
^ Blanning, T. C. W. (2016). Frederick the Great: King of Prussia . New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6812-8 . OCLC 918986371 .
^ "Koning Willem II gechanteerd wegens homoseksualiteit" .
^ Hermans, Dorine and Hooghiemstra, Daniela: Voor de troon wordt men niet ongestrafd geboren, ooggetuigen van de koningen van Nederland 1830–1890 , ISBN 978-90-351-3114-9 , 2007.
^ McIntosh, Christopher (1982). The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria . I. B. Tauris. pp. 153–159. ISBN 1-86064-892-4 .
^ Oliver Hilmes, Ludwig II.: Der Unzeitgemäße König , Siedler Verlag, 2013, passim.
^ Holzschuh, Robert, Das Paradies verlorene Ludwigs II': Die persönliche Tragödie des Märchenkönigs , Eichborn 2001, passim
^ Przybilla, Olaf 'Auf vermintem Terrain', Welt , 9.11. 2001
^ 31. Antiquaria Peregrina , Antiquariatsmesse Ludwigsburg, 2017, p62
^ Machtan, Lothar (2013). Prinz Max von Baden der letzte Kanzler des Kaisers ; eine Biographie (1. Aufl ed.). Berlin: Suhrkamp. pp. 154, 233, 440–445. ISBN 978-3-518-42407-0 . OCLC 862796444 .
^ Gianoulis, Tina (November 16, 2006). "Gustav V, King of Sweden (1858-1950)" . GLBTQ - An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture . Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2023 .
^ Warren Kinsella , "Not everyone loves a parade". Toronto Sun , June 26, 2011.
^ "Definitely out now". Perceptions , September 14, 1994.
^ Richard Starr, Richard Hatfield: The Seventeen Year Saga . Goodread Biography, 1988. ISBN 0887801536 .
^ Politician Pays Price For Life On The Edge , Chicago Tribune
^ "Gay politicians come out of the closet and into the cabinet". The Globe and Mail , November 13, 2009.
^ Mark Steyn (17 November 2003). "Zimbabwe's Banana left legacy of disgrace" . The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016 .
^ Essays in Honor of Bernth Lindfors , Volume 2, Barbara Harlow, Africa World Press, 2002, page 210
^ Zim's presidential rape scandal , Mail and Guardian, 28 February 1997
^ Taylor, Rebecca. 'They say that power corrupts – and it does' . The Guardian . 23 January 2002.
^ McNeil Jr, Donald G. (27 November 1998). "Zimbabwe's Ex-President Convicted of Sodomy" . The New York Times (Archives). Retrieved 8 July 2007 .
^ "News.lv: 'Delfi' atklātais dokuments par Ulmani: aizdomas par 'vadoņa' homoseksualitāti nav dzēstas 08.09.2022 Delfi Plus" . news.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-05-13 .
^ mango.lv. "Pētījums: Kārlis Ulmanis esot bijis gejs" . www.delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-05-13 .
^ "Kārlis Ulmanis bijis gejs un šodien būtu piedalījies praidā, saka zibakcijas rīkotāji" . tv3.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-05-13 .