38 members of the LGBTQ community are known to have held office in the United States Congress. In the House, 34 LGBTQ people held office; in the Senate, 4 held office. Two people, Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema, served in the House and were later elected into the Senate. The earliest known LGBTQ congressperson was Ed Koch, who began his term in the House in 1969. The earliest known LGBTQ senator is Harris Wofford, who began his term in 1991. Both men were not out during their tenure: Koch's sexuality was confirmed after his death and Wofford announced his plans to marry a man over 20 years after serving in the Senate. In 2024, Sarah McBride was elected as the nation's first openly transgender member of Congress.
14 openly LGBTQ members of the current (119th) Congress, all of whom are Democrats. One is a senator and the rest are House representatives. This is the record highest number of LGBTQ congresspeople openly serving at the same time in U.S. history.
Senate
NamePartyStateTermNotesStartEndDurationDemocraticPennsylvaniaAnnounced his marriage to a man in 2016.DemocraticWisconsinIncumbentAs an openly lesbian woman, Baldwin is the first openly LGBTQ senator.DemocraticArizonaSinema was the first openly bisexual senator.IndependentDemocraticCaliforniaButler is openly lesbian and was the first openly LGBTQ African-American senator.
House of Representatives
NamePartyStateTermNotesStartEndDurationDemocraticNew YorkKoch denied he was gay throughout his life, but a 2022 article in The New York Times identified him as such.RepublicanConnecticutAfter dying in office of AIDS-related illness, McKinney was outed as bisexual in his obituary.DemocraticTexasJordan's domestic partnership with Nancy Earl was revealed in her obituary in 1996, making her the first LGBTQ woman in Congress (per the U.S. National Archives).DemocraticMassachusettsStudds came out as gay as a result of his implication in the 1983 congressional page sex scandal. He became the first openly LGBTQ person to win election to Congress with his reelection in 1984.RepublicanMarylandBauman was outed as gay in October 1980 while in office, making him the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress.DemocraticPennsylvania Announced in 2025 his 2021 marriage to a man.RepublicanMississippiHinson was outed as gay after being arrested on a charge of oral sodomy on February 4, 1981.DemocraticMassachusettsFrank came out as gay in 1987 and in 2012 became the first member of Congress in a same-sex marriage.RepublicanWisconsinGunderson was outed as gay on the floor of the House in 1994, Gunderson was the first openly gay Republican to be reelected after being outed.RepublicanArizonaKolbe came out as gay while in office after voting for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. He was the first openly gay person to address the Republican National Convention.RepublicanCaliforniaHuffington came out as bisexual in 1998RepublicanFloridaFoley came out as gay after being implicated in a 2006 congressional page scandal.DemocraticWisconsinBaldwin is openly lesbian, and was the first openly LGBTQ non-incumbent elected to Congress.DemocraticMaineMichaud came out as gay in 2013.DemocraticColoradoIn 2011, Polis became the first same-sex parent in Congress.RepublicanIllinoisSchock came out as gay in 2020.DemocraticRhode IslandCicilline is openly gay.DemocraticNew YorkMaloney is openly gay. In 2014, he married his longtime partner.DemocraticWisconsinIncumbentPocan is openly gay and the first LGBTQ member of Congress to replace another LGBTQ member of Congress (Tammy Baldwin) and the first non-incumbent in a same-sex marriage elected to Congress.DemocraticArizonaSinema was the first openly bisexual member of Congress.DemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentTakano is openly gay and the first openly LGBTQ person of color (specifically Asian American) elected to Congress.DemocraticMinnesotaIncumbentCraig is openly lesbian and the first non-incumbent LGBTQ parent elected to Congress.DemocraticKansasIncumbentDavids is openly lesbian and the first openly LGBTQ woman of color (Native American) elected to Congress.DemocraticCaliforniaHill is openly bisexual.DemocraticNew HampshireIncumbentPappas is openly gay.DemocraticNew YorkAlong with Ritchie Torres, Jones was the first openly gay African American elected to Congress.DemocraticNew YorkIncumbentAlong with Mondaire Jones, Torres was the first openly gay African American elected to Congress, and the first openly gay Hispanic member of Congress.DemocraticVermontIncumbentBalint is openly lesbian.DemocraticCaliforniaIncumbentGarcia is openly gay.RepublicanNew YorkSantos is openly gay and the first openly LGBTQ non-incumbent Republican elected to Congress.DemocraticIllinoisIncumbentSorensen is openly gay.DemocraticTexasIncumbentJohnson is openly lesbian and the first openly LGBTQ individual to represent a southern state in Congress.DemocraticDelawareIncumbentMcBride is the first openly transgender individual elected to Congress.DemocraticWashingtonIncumbent Randall is the first openly LGBTQ Hispanic woman elected to Congress.DemocraticGeorgiaIncumbent Blair is openly gay.
Shadow representatives
NamePartyJurisdictionTermNotesStartEndDurationDemocraticDistrict of ColumbiaSojourner came out as lesbian in 1976.
Histograph of openly-serving LGBTQ members of Congress StartingTotalGraphEventMarch 4, 1789 0 United States Congress establishedOctober 3, 1980 1 Robert Bauman outedJanuary 3, 1981 0 Robert Bauman lost reelectionFebruary 4, 1981 1 Jon Hinson outedApril 13, 1981 0 Jon Hinson resignedJuly 14, 1983 1 Gerry Studds comes outMay 29, 1987 2 Barney Frank comes outMarch 24, 1994 3 Steve Gunderson outedAugust 1, 1996 4 Jim Kolbe comes outJanuary 3, 1997 2 Gerry Studds and Steve Gunderson retiredJanuary 3, 1999 3 Tammy Baldwin elected to the HouseJanuary 3, 2007 2 Jim Kolbe retiredJanuary 3, 2009 3 Jared Polis electedJanuary 3, 2011 4 David Cicilline electedJanuary 3, 2013 7 Tammy Baldwin retired from the House, elected to the Senate; Sean Patrick Maloney, Mark Pocan, Kyrsten Sinema, and Mark Takano elected; Barney Frank retiredNovember 4, 2013 8 Mike Michaud comes outJanuary 3, 2015 7 Mike Michaud retiredJanuary 3, 2019 10 Kyrsten Sinema retired from the House, elected to the Senate; Angie Craig, Sharice Davids, Katie Hill, and Chris Pappas elected; Jared Polis retiredNovember 1, 2019 9 Katie Hill resignedJanuary 3, 2021 11 Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres electedDecember 9, 2022 11 Kyrsten Sinema registered as an independentJanuary 3, 2023 13 Becca Balint, Robert Garcia, George Santos, and Eric Sorensen elected; Mondaire Jones lost renomination; Sean Patrick Maloney lost reelectionJune 1, 2023 12 David Cicilline resignedOctober 4, 2023 13 Laphonza Butler appointedDecember 1, 2023 12 George Santos expelledDecember 8, 2024 11 Laphonza Butler resignedJanuary 3, 2025 13 Kyrsten Sinema retired; Julie Johnson, Sarah McBride, and Emily Randall electedSeptember 1, 202614 Everton Blair elected
See also Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus List of LGBTQ politicians in the United States List of first openly LGBTQ politicians in the United States
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