List of transgender political office-holders

Over the last few decades, transgender individuals have been able to obtain elected and appointed political office in many parts of the world. Transgender individuals have different life experiences and thus policy goals, ranging from access to restrooms and health care to protection from discrimination and violence. Because of this, the election and appointment of transgender officials can potentially change discriminating legislation.[1] As of 2018, only 16 openly transgender individuals have been elected to office in the United States.[2] A few transgender individuals who have been elected were not open about their gender identity and were later outed.

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North America

1990s
  • Joanne Marie Conte, elected to Arvada, Colorado's City Council in 1991.[3]
  • Althea Garrison (R), Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 5th Suffolk District - 1992. Garrison is the first transgender person to serve in state legislation, however, not openly. She was later outed. In 2018, Garrison took office again when Ayanna Pressley was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She was appointed as the at-large representative for the City Council of Boston.[4]

2000s
Amanda Simpson, United States
Kim Coco Iwamoto, United States
Lauren Scott, United States
  • Amanda Simpson, Commissioner of the City of Tucson Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Commission - 2001. Later Simpson was elected or appointed to many different positions from Precinct Committeeperson up to serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy from 2015 until January 2017.[5][6]
  • Claire Elizabeth Hall, Commissioner of Lincoln County, Oregon - 2004. Hall transitioned in June 2018 while serving as commissioner.[7]
  • Michelle Bruce, City Council Member of Riverdale, Georgia - 2004. Bruce was sued by her political opponents for fraud because she allegedly misled voters concerning her gender. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bruce.[8]
  • Jessica Orsini, Alderwoman of the Centralia, Missouri Municipal Council - 2006.[9]
  • Kim Coco Iwamoto, Member of Hawaii Board of Education - 2006. Iwamoto was later appointed to the Hawaii Council of Human Affairs.[10]
  • Stu Rasmussen, Mayor of Silverton, Oregon - 2008.[4]

2010s
  • Victoria Kolakowski, Superior Court Judge of Alameda County, California, Superior Court - 2010. First transgender person elected judge.[11]
  • Stacie Laughton, New Hampshire House of Representatives. Though Laughton was the first openly transgender person elected to state legislature, she was forced to resign before taking office after past felonies became public - 2012.[12]
  • Lauren Scott, Commissioner of Nevada Equal Rights Commission - 2012.[13]
  • Barbra Casbar Siperstein, Member of the Democratic National Committee (New Jersey) - 2012.[14]
  • Vered Meltzer, City Council in Appleton, Wisconsin, District 2 - 2014.[15][16]
  • Jordan Evans, Board of Trustees of the Public Library for Charlton, Massachusetts - 2016.[17]
  • Jess Herbst, Mayor of New Hope, and first openly trans mayor to hold office in Texas, though not elected - 2016.[18]
  • Jay Irwin, School Board Member of Ralston, Nebraska. First openly trans man to be elected to office - 2016.[19]

2017
Danica Roem, United States
Andrea Jenkins, United States
Phillipe Cunningham, United States
  • Rachael Rose Luckey, Board Member of the Rampart Village Neighborhood Council, Los Angeles, CA - 2017.[20]
  • Boudicca Walsh, an openly trans woman elected to the Thurston County Democrats.

On November 7, 2017, eight transgender individuals were elected to public office. This is the most transgender individuals elected to office in a single day.[21]

2018

2019
  • Brianna Westbrook, Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Arizona - First transgender person to be elected a vice-chair of a state Democratic Party. Elected January 26th, 2019.[29]
  • Michelle Risher, First Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) and Immediate Past Chair of the DPO Stonewall Caucus. Elected in the first round of voting as the female vice chair of the DPO on March 17, 2019, Risher is a co-equal first vice chair of the DPO, and equal with her male counterpart in being first in the line of succession to the chair. Risher is the only elected transperson elected a first, senior, or second vice chair, to the chair of any of the 57 state, district, or territorial Democratic parties. She is the highest-ranking elected trans person in the history of the aforementioned Democratic parties.[30]
  • Brandy Fortson, member of the Corvallis, Oregon School Board (non-binary)[31]
  • Ashley Shade, Treasurer of the Massachusetts Libertarian Party. She is the first transgender person to be elected treasurer of a Libertarian State Party and first elected Transgender State Party Officer in Massachusetts. Elected July 14, 2019.[32]
  • Donna Price, Vice-Chair of the Albemarle County, Virginia Board of Supervisors (Scottsville Magisterial District). The first transgender Supervisor and second elected public official in the State. Elected November 2019.[33]

2020
  • Rosemary Ketchum, elected to Wheeling, West Virginia's City Council on June 9, 2020. The first out trans person to be elected to public office in the State. Elected June 2020.[34]
  • Pluto Brand, Elected to State Chair of the Indiana Green Party. First Trans/Intersex person to be the leader of a State Political Party in the State of Indiana see 2018 Elected Vice-Chair of the Indiana Green Party[28]
  • Blaizen Bloom, Elected to Press-Secretary of the Green Party of Virginia (non-binary)[35]
  • Taylor Small, Elected to Vermont House of Representatives, representing Winooski and Burlington (Chittenden 6-7 district).
  • Christopher Kalcich, Elected to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania's Borough Council. The first transgender elected official in Snyder County and Central PA.[36][37]
  • Sarah McBride, elected to the Delaware state senate on November 3, 2020.[38][39]
  • Michelle Risher, On December 22nd, Michelle became only the second transgender person elected to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for a four-year term by the Democratic Party of Oregon’s (DPO) state central committee. At the time of her election, she was serving as an elected first vice-chair of the DPO and will do so until that term ends at the DPO Reorg in March of 2021. Michelle is the only trans Democrat to have been elected three-times to statewide party office: DPO Stonewall Caucus chair; DPO vice-chair; and, as one of the DPO’s three elected DNC members.[40]

Canada
Micheline Montreuil, Canada
Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Canada

Cuba

South America
Tamara Adrián, Venezuela

Argentina
  • Mara Pérez Reynoso, holder of the non-discrimination area in the Ministry of Security, first transgender public official in Argentina's government - 2016.[51]

Brazil

Chile
  • Alejandra González, Councilwoman for Lampa - 2004.
  • Zuliana Araya, Councilwoman for Valparaiso - 2016.[53]

Ecuador

Peru
  • Luisa Revilla Urcia, Councillor in La Esperanza in the province of Trujillo - 2014.[4]

Uruguay

Venezuela

Europe
Camile Cabral, France
Jenny Bailey, United Kingdom
Vladimir Luxruia, Italy
Carla Antonelli, Spain
Petra De Sutter, Belgium

Germany
  • Christian Schenk, Member of the Bundestag for the Independent Women’s Association Party - 1990.[57]
  • Tessa Ganserer[58]

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Sweden
  • Alexandra Ward-Slotte, Councillor in the municipality of Stenungsund for the liberal-conservative Moderate party. LGBTQ-activist and Vice president of west pride.[70]
  • Lukas Romson, Swedish politician for the Socialdemocratic party. Brother of Åsa Romson, former deputy prime minister.[71]

Poland

Portugal
  • Júlia Mendes Pereira, Member of the Left Bloc national board - 2014-2018.

Belgium
  • Petra De Sutter, Belgian Senate member - 2014. Belgian Minister for Civil Servants and Government Institutions - 2020 [73][74]

Asia
Aya Kamikawa, Japan
Yollada Suanyot, Thailand

India
  • Shabnam Bano (aka Shabnam "Mausi"), Member of the Madhya Pradesh State Legislative Assembly - 1998.[75]
  • Kamla Jaan, Mayor of Katni, central Madhya Pradesh. Elected in 2000, she was India's first transgender mayor.[76][77] In 2002, a judge in Madhya Pradesh ruled that she was legally male and could not hold an office reserved for women.[78]
  • Asha Devi, Mayor of Gorakhpur, eastern Uttar Pradesh - 2001.
  • Kamla Kinnar (aka Kamla "Bua"), Mayor of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh - 2009.[79]
  • Madhu Kinnar, Mayor of the Raigarh Municipal Corporation - 2015.

Japan

Taiwan

Thailand

Malaysia

Sri Lanka

Philippines

Oceania
Georgina Beyer, New Zealand

New Zealand

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