Victory in the News

Queering Congress

When California teacher Mark Takano ran for Congress 15 years ago, he lost to Republican challenger Ken Calvert by a scant 519 votes. Two years later, things looked more promising. Police had caught Calvert with a prostitute; Takano should have easily clinched a win. But just three months before the election, Ray Haynes—a Calvert supporter in the state assembly—outed Takano as gay. 

Despite the growing importance of LGBT issues on the Democratic platform—two rumored contenders for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, have been fierce advocates for marriage equality—the rank of elected officials will likely change little next year. "If you were to think of this in terms of representative democracy, we are not there yet," says Denis Dison of The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that supports LGBT candidates at all levels of government. "We should have maybe 30 members of the House. But [the underrepresentation] is also true of people of color, of women. The LGBT community is fairly new to this mission we have undertaken. It wasn't very long ago that people would not have been able to run." 

Frank retiring from Congress in 2012

The longest serving openly gay member of Congress won't seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2012.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) announced his retirement during a press conference at Newton City Hall in Massachusetts on Monday. Had the lawmaker sought re-election, he would have been pursuing a 17th term in Congress.

The Victory Fund has endorsed the re-election bids of openly gay U.S. House members Polis and Cicilline. The organization also backs the election to Congress of non-incumbent Pocan as well as Mark Takano in California and State Rep. Marko Liias in Washington State.  

Barney Frank to Retire

With few regrets and a few more parting quips, Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts announced Monday that he will retire at the end of the current congressional term. 

Congressman Frank, the longest-serving openly gay member of Congress and one of four openly gay congressional members currently in office, told reporters at a news conference in Newton, Mass., that his decision not to run for reelection in 2012 was driven in part by the realities of redistricting as well as his desire to pursue writing and teaching. His announcement was met with an outpouring of gratitude by LGBT organizations who praised his gay rights legislative work and his influence on a new generation of LGBT political leaders. 

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, said, "Barney Frank's political career may be coming to an end, but his legacy will outlive us all. His decision to come out as gay more than two decades ago gave LGBT Americans an authentic voice and a persistent champion in Washington. He has used that voice loudly and often, speaking personally, humorously and effectively about the hopes and challenges of Americans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We will miss that voice very much." 

Colorado state House Dems pick gay man to lead

DENVER — Openly gay Rep. Mark Ferrandino (D-Denver) is the newly elected Democratic leader in the Colorado State House, after Rep. Sal Pace stepped down to focus on a U.S. Congressional run, according to the Associated Press.

As the Victory Fund's Gay Politics Blog notes, if the chamber returns to Democratic control in 2012, Ferrandino will become the state's first openly-gay majority leader. In 2007 the Massachusetts Republican party chose gay Sen. Richard Tisei (R-Middlesex & Essex) to lead the minority party in that state's upper house. Tisei was not officially on record as being gay, however, until November 2009, though upon coming out, Tisei claims to have never been in the closet. 

Out Gay Lawmaker Elected Minority Leader of Colorado House

Out gay Colorado State Representative Mark Ferrandino has been elected to the position of House Minority Leader, the Victory Fund reports, adding that "he could become House Speaker if the chamber flips back to Democratic control next year."