Mayor
Many LGBTQ people aspire to politics and often their first step is at the local level. Perhaps not the most glamorous of jobs – dealing with matters such as transportation, garbage pickup, local bylaws, and many social issues – being mayor deals with issues which directly affect our everyday lives.
Cities around the world with an LGBTQ mayor vary from small municipalities with only a few hundred residents to large metropolitan areas including Paris, Houston, and Berlin. While dealing with a wide variety of issues is par for the course for these individuals, no doubt issues particular to the gay community receive their due attention.
Cities with LGBTQ mayors are located in countries such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Chile, Colombia, Luxembourg, Poland, India, Australia, Spain, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, the United States, The Netherlands, Malta, Italy, and Great Britain.
Do you know who the world’s first transsexual mayor was and of what city? And which LGBTQ mayor of one of the world’s most famous cities survived an assassination attempt? Read on to find out.
- Sam Adams, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Claudio Arriagada, La Granja, Chile
- Toni Atkins, San Diego, California, USA
- Jenny Bailey, Cambridge, Great Britain
- Richard Barnes, London Deputy Mayor, Great Britain
- E. F. (Fred) Benson, Rye, Great Britain
- Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg
- Georgina Beyer, Carterton, New Zealand
- Robert Biedron, Slupsk, Poland
- Jerry Birdwell, South Lake Tahoe, California
- Tony Briffa, Hobsons Bay, New Zealand
- Peter Buttigieg, South Bend, Indiana, USA
- Christopher Cabaldon, West Sacremento, California, USA
- Luc Carvounas, Alfortville, France
- David Cicilline, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Christopher Clark, Mountain View, California, USA
- Brian Coleman, Barnett, Great Britain
- Angelica Lozano Correa, Chapinero, Colombia
- Rosario Crocetta, Gela, Sicily
- Robert Crossman, Islington, Great Britain
- Ien Dales, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- John D'Amico, West Hollywood, California, USA
- Asha Devi, Gorakhupr, India
- Bertrand Delanoe, Paris, France
- Tim Eustace, Haywood, New Jersey, USA
- Larry Forester, Signal Hill, California, USA
- John William Fowler, South Sydney, Australia
- Robert Garcia, Long Beach, California, USA
- Karen Geraghty, Portland, Maine, USA
- Neil Giuliano, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Karl Gouder, St. Julian's, Malta
- Don Guardian, Atlantic City, New Jersey USA
- Bruce Harris, Borough of Chatham, New Jersey USA
- Jeff Hook, Southwark, Great Britain
- John Hyde, Vincent, Perth, Australia
- Madhu Kinnar, Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh Municipal Corporation, India
- Andre Labarrere, Pau, France
- Evan Low, Campbell, California, USA
- Craig Lowe, Gainsville, Florida, USA
- Corine Mauch, Zurich, Switzerland
- Ralph McLean, Fitzroy, Australia
- Alex Morse, Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
- Andrew Muir, North Down, Northern Ireland
- Edward Murray, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Glen Murray, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Ted Nebbeling, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
- Bruce Notley-Smith, Randwick, Australia
- Peter O'Donnell, Portland, Maine, USA
- Guy Padgett, Casper, Wyoming, USA
- Annise Parker, Houston, Texas, USA
- Benjamin Medrano Quezada, Fresnillo Mexico
- Stu Rasmussen, Silverton, Oregon, USA
- Kenneth Reeves, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Janet Rice, Maribyrnong, Australia
- Maurice Richard, Becancourt, Quebec, Canada
- Jeronimo Saavedra, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
- Elizabeth Schmitz, Haarlem, The Netherlands
- Pedro Segarra, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
- E. Denise Simmons, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Santi Vila, Figueres, Spain
- Ole von Beust, Hamburg, Germany
- Rich Waterman, Campbell, California, USA
- Helen Westwood, Bankstown, Australia
- Charlotte Whitton, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Klaus Wowereit, Berlin, Germany
