List of openly LGBT heads of state and government explained

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

Name	class=unsortable	Portrait	Country	Office	Political party	Mandate start	Mandate end	Term length	Sexual orientation/ gender identity
Paolo Rondelli		San Marino	Captain Regent	RETE Movement				Gay[1]
Edgars Rinkēvičs		Latvia	President	Unity		Incumbent		Gay[2] [3]

Heads and deputy heads of government

Name	class=unsortable	Portrait	Country	Office	Political party	Mandate start	Mandate end	Term length	Sexual orientation/ gender identity
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir		Iceland	Prime Minister	Social Democratic Alliance				Lesbian[4]
Elio Di Rupo		Belgium	Prime Minister	Socialist Party				Gay[5]
Xavier Bettel		Luxembourg	Prime Minister	Democratic Party				Gay[6]
Leo Varadkar		Ireland	Taoiseach	Fine Gael				Gay[7]
Ana Brnabić		Serbia	Prime Minister	Progressive Party				Lesbian[8]
Xavier Espot Zamora		Andorra	Prime Minister	Democrats for Andorra		Incumbent		Gay[9]
Gabriel Attal		France	Prime Minister	Renaissance				Gay[10]

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.

Name	class=unsortable	Portrait	Country	Office	Political party	Mandate start	Mandate end	Term length	Sexual orientation/ gender identity
Gaëtan Duval		Mauritius	Deputy Prime Minister	Social Democratic Party				Gay
Guido Westerwelle		Germany	Vice-Chancellor	Free Democratic Party				Gay
Etienne Schneider		Luxembourg	Deputy Prime Minister	Socialist Workers' Party				Gay
Kajsa Ollongren		Netherlands	Second Deputy Prime Minister	Democrats 66				Lesbian
Leo Varadkar		Ireland	Tánaiste	Fine Gael				Gay
Petra De Sutter		Belgium	Deputy Prime Minister	Groen		Incumbent		Trans woman
Grant Robertson		New Zealand	Deputy Prime Minister	Labour Party				Gay
Xavier Bettel		Luxembourg	Deputy Prime Minister	Democratic Party		Incumbent		Gay
Rob Jetten		Netherlands	First Deputy Prime Minister	Democrats 66				Gay

Sub-national leaders

Name	class=unsortable	Portrait	Entity	Country	Office	Political party	Mandate start	Mandate end	Term length	Sexual orientation/ gender identity
Don Dunstan				Premier	Labor Party	1 June 1967	17 April 1968	321 days	Bisexual
						2 June 1970	15 February 1979	8 years, 258 days
Jerónimo Saavedra			Spain	President	Socialist Workers' Party	29 November 1982	4 July 1987		Gay[11]
						11 July 1991	2 April 1993
Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal			Colombia	Governor	Independent	1 January 1998	27 July 1999		Gay
Elio Di Rupo			Belgium	Minister-President	Socialist Party	15 July 1999	4 April 2000		Gay
						6 October 2005	20 July 2007
						13 September 2019	15 July 2024
Jan Franssen			Netherlands	King's Commissioner	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy	3 May 2000	1 January 2014		Gay[12]
Erling Lae			Norway	Governor	Conservative Party	1 June 2010	30 June 2016		Gay[13]
Klaus Wowereit			Germany	Governing Mayor	Social Democratic Party	16 June 2001	11 December 2014		Gay[14]
Ole von Beust			Germany	First Mayor	Christian Democratic Union	31 October 2001	25 August 2010		Gay[15]
Jim McGreevey			United States	Governor	Democratic Party	15 January 2002	15 November 2004		Gay
Nichi Vendola			Italy	President	Communist Refoundation Party	4 April 2005	1 June 2015		Gay[16]
Clemens Cornielje			Netherlands	King's Commissioner	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy	31 August 2005	6 February 2019		Gay[17]
			Switzerland	Member of the Executive Council	Green Party	1 June 2006	31 May 2018		Gay[18]
Lynne Brown			South Africa	Premier	African National Congress	25 July 2008	6 May 2009		Lesbian[19]
Allan Bell			United Kingdom	Chief Minister	Independent	11 October 2011	4 October 2016		Gay[20]
			Switzerland	Member of the Executive Council	The Liberals	1 June 2012	31 May 2020		Gay[21]
Cian O'Callaghan		Fingal	Ireland	Mayor	Labour Party	22 June 2012	15 June 2013		Gay[22]
Rosario Crocetta			Italy	President	Democratic Party	10 November 2012	18 November 2017		Gay[23]
Kathleen Wynne			Canada	Premier	Liberal Party	11 February 2013	29 June 2018		Lesbian
Fintan Warfield		South Dublin	Ireland	Mayor	Sinn Féin	6 June 2014	25 June 2015		Gay[24]
Andrew Barr			Australia	Chief Minister	Labor Party	11 December 2014	Incumbent		Gay
Kate Brown			United States	Governor	Democratic Party	18 February 2015	9 January 2023		Bisexual
Wade MacLauchlan			Canada	Premier	Liberal Party	23 February 2015	9 May 2019		Gay
Niluka Ekanayake		Central Province	Sri Lanka	Governor	Independent	17 March 2016	11 April 2018		Trans woman
		Sabaragamuwa Province		Governor		12 April 2018	31 December 2018
Arno Brok			Netherlands	King's Commissioner	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy	1 March 2017	Incumbent		Gay[25]
Andy Street		West Midlands	United Kingdom	Mayor	Conservative Party	8 May 2017	5 May 2024		Gay[26]
			Switzerland	Member of the Council of State	Social Democratic Party	1 June 2018	Incumbent		Gay[27]
Eduardo Leite			Brazil	Governor	Social Democracy Party	1 January 2019	31 March 2022		Gay
						1 January 2023	Incumbent
Fátima Bezerra			Brazil	Governor	Workers' Party	1 January 2019	Incumbent		Lesbian
Jared Polis			United States	Governor	Democratic Party	8 January 2019	Incumbent		Gay
Gustavo Melella			Argentina	Governor	FORJA Concertation Party	17 December 2019	Incumbent		Gay
Claudia López Hernández			Colombia	Mayor	Green Alliance	1 January 2020	31 December 2023		Lesbian
Bent Høie			Norway	Governor	Conservative Party	1 November 2021	Incumbent		Gay[28]
Emma Murphy		South Dublin	Ireland	Mayor	Fianna Fáil	24 June 2022	29 June 2023		Lesbian[29]
Maura Healey			United States	Governor	Democratic Party	5 January 2023	Incumbent		Lesbian
Tina Kotek			United States	Governor	Democratic Party	9 January 2023	Incumbent		Lesbian
Karl Love			United Kingdom	Chair	Independent	15 May 2024	Incumbent		Gay[30]

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.^[35] Letters from Ludwig reveal that the quartermaster of the royal stables, Karl Hesselschwerdt, acted as his male procurer.^{[36] [37] [38]}
• 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 from at least 1912.^[39]
• 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.^[40]
• 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.^{[41] [42] [43] [44] [45]}
• 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.^{[46] [47] [48] [49] [50]}
• 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.^{[51] [52] [53]}

See also

• List of the first openly LGBT holders of political offices
• List of current heads of state and government
• List of current vice presidents and designated acting presidents
• List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office

Notes and References

1. Web site: Anarte . Enrique . 2022-01-12 . Tiny European states play catch up on LGBT+ equality . 2022-03-28 . news.trust.org.
2. News: Par Valsts prezidentu ievēlēts ārlietu ministrs Edgars Rinkēvičs . 31 May 2023 . . 31 May 2023 . lv.
3. News: Eglitis . Aaron . EU's First Openly Gay Head of State Elected by Latvian Assembly . 31 May 2023 . Bloomberg . 31 May 2023.
4. News: Gunnarsson. Valur. Iceland to elect world's first openly gay PM. 6 June 2017. The Guardian. 30 January 2009.
5. News: Vander Taelen. Luckas. Can Belgium's new prime minister keep living the dream?. 6 June 2017. The Guardian. 10 December 2011.
6. News: Gayle. Damien. Luxembourg's prime minister first EU leader to marry same-sex partner. 6 June 2017. The Guardian. 15 May 2015.
7. News: Dunne. Seán. Varadkar set to be 'first openly gay Irish PM', say world headlines. 3 June 2017. The Irish Times. 2 June 2017.
8. News: Srbija ima novu vladu. Ana Brnabić postala premijerka. (Serbia has a new government. Ana Brnabić becomes prime minister. 29 June 2017. Dirketno.hr. 29 June 2017. 24 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170824144516/http://direktno.hr/svijet/srbija-ima-novu-vladu-ana-brnabic-postala-premijerka-90448/. dead. sr.
9. News: El presidente de Andorra sale del armario: "Yo soy gay y nunca me he escondido". The Objective. 11 September 2023. es.
10. Web site: Biseau . Grégoire . Stéphane Séjourné and Gabriel Attal, a couple at the heart of power . Le Monde . 9 January 2024.
11. Web site: Cuando Jerónimo Saavedra visibilizó su homosexualidad a los 64 años tras la muerte de su pareja. es. El Diario. 21 November 2013. Toni. Ferrera. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
12. Web site: ’Ik ervoer warmte en openheid’. nl. 23 May 2009. Monic. Slingerland. Trouw.
13. Web site: Mo. Ida Svingen. 18 June 2007. Lae hyllet i Berlin . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090110092159/http://www.dagsavisen.no/innenriks/article296501.ece. 10 January 2009 . 14 March 2010. Dagsavisen. Norwegian.
14. Web site: "Ich bin schwul - und das ist auch gut so!". de. Deutsche Welle. 9 June 2021. Volker. Witting.
15. Web site: Ole von Beust heiratet 22-jährigen Ex-Praktikanten. de. Welt. 25 June 2013.
16. Web site: Nichi Vendola: “Sono un padre innamorato, al Governo incolti e irresponsabili”. it. Frederico. Boni. 19 August 2019. Gay.it.
17. Web site: Clemens Cornielje was een 'warm mens' én een kat met negen levens. nl. 17 March 2022. Arnhem.
18. Web site: «Es geht um die Frage, wie man liebt». Frank. de. Der Bund. Geister. 15 October 2018.
19. Web site: South Africa appoints first lesbian to cabinet. The Guardian. 26 May 2014. David. Smith.
20. Web site: Chief Minister comes out to UK newspaper. 5 October 2015. Manx Radio.
21. Web site: «Bis in jeder Familie einer schwul ist». de. Tagblatt. Marcel. Elsener.
22. Web site: Ireland's 'first openly gay mayor' elected. 22 June 2012. The Journal.
23. Web site: Rosario Crocetta: “Sono gay, ma se potessi tornare indietro non lo direi più”. it. 5 September 2024. il Fatto Nissèno.
24. Web site: New mayor of South Dublin says he's proud to be 'an openly LGBT mayor'. 6 June 2014. The Journal.
25. Web site: SGP steunt burgemeester Dordrecht. nl. 11 January 2010. Rijnmond.
26. Web site: Andy Street didn't realise he was gay until 30 - and talks of 'intense friendship' with MP Michael Fabricant. Express & Star. 14 June 2022. Nathan. Rowe.
27. Web site: «J’ai décidé de ne rien cacher». 1 November 2013. Frédéric. Hugo. fr. 360.ch.
28. Web site: Bent Høie og ektemannen går fra hverandre etter 26 år. Nettavisen. 4 October 2022. 4 October 2022. no.
29. Web site: Fianna Fáil councillor becomes first LGBTQ+ woman elected as mayor of local authority. The Irish Times. 24 June 2022. Jade. Wilson.
30. Web site: New Isle of Wight Council chair Karl Love will champion inclusivity. Isle of Wight County Press. 26 May 2024. Lori. Little.
31. Book: Blanning, T. C. W. . Frederick the Great: King of Prussia. 2016. 978-1-4000-6812-8 . New York . Random House . 918986371.
32. Web site: Koning Willem II gechanteerd wegens homoseksualiteit.
33. Hermans, Dorine and Hooghiemstra, Daniela: Voor de troon wordt men niet ongestrafd geboren, ooggetuigen van de koningen van Nederland 1830–1890,, 2007.
34. Book: McIntosh, Christopher . 1982 . The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria . I. B. Tauris . 1-86064-892-4 . 153–159.
35. Oliver Hilmes, Ludwig II.: Der Unzeitgemäße König, Siedler Verlag, 2013, passim.
36. Holzschuh, Robert, Das Paradies verlorene Ludwigs II': Die persönliche Tragödie des Märchenkönigs, Eichborn 2001, passim
37. https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article475213/Auf-vermintem-Terrain.html Przybilla, Olaf 'Auf vermintem Terrain', Welt, 9.11. 2001
38. https://web.archive.org/web/20220723032347/http://www.antiquariat-solder.de/fileadmin/user_upload/messen/Ludwigsburg-katalog-2017.pdf 31. Antiquaria Peregrina, Antiquariatsmesse Ludwigsburg, 2017, p62
39. Book: Machtan, Lothar . Prinz Max von Baden der letzte Kanzler des Kaisers ; eine Biographie . 2013 . 978-3-518-42407-0 . 1. Aufl . Berlin . Suhrkamp . 154, 233, 440–445 . 862796444.
40. Web site: Gianoulis . Tina . November 16, 2006 . Gustav V, King of Sweden (1858-1950) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080803051005/http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/gustav_v.html . August 3, 2008 . April 8, 2023 . GLBTQ - An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture.
41. [Warren Kinsella]
42. "Definitely out now". Perceptions, September 14, 1994.
43. Richard Starr, Richard Hatfield: The Seventeen Year Saga. Goodread Biography, 1988. .
44. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/03/25/politician-pays-price-for-life-on-the-edge/ Politician Pays Price For Life On The Edge
45. "Gay politicians come out of the closet and into the cabinet". The Globe and Mail, November 13, 2009.
46. News: Zimbabwe's Banana left legacy of disgrace. Mark Steyn. The Irish Times. 17 November 2003. 10 August 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151222105018/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/zimbabwe-s-banana-left-legacy-of-disgrace-1.392631. 22 December 2015. Mark Steyn.
47. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZOtkAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Patrick+Mashiri%22 Essays in Honor of Bernth Lindfors
48. http://mg.co.za/article/1997-02-28-zims-presidential-rape-scandal Zim's presidential rape scandal
49. Taylor, Rebecca. 'They say that power corrupts – and it does'. The Guardian. 23 January 2002.
50. News: Zimbabwe's Ex-President Convicted of Sodomy . The New York Times (Archives) . 27 November 1998 . 8 July 2007 . Donald G. . McNeil Jr.
51. Web site: News.lv: 'Delfi' atklātais dokuments par Ulmani: aizdomas par 'vadoņa' homoseksualitāti nav dzēstas 08.09.2022 Delfi Plus . 2023-05-13 . news.lv . lv.
52. Web site: mango.lv . Pētījums: Kārlis Ulmanis esot bijis gejs . 2023-05-13 . www.delfi.lv . lv.
53. Web site: Kārlis Ulmanis bijis gejs un šodien būtu piedalījies praidā, saka zibakcijas rīkotāji . 2023-05-13 . tv3.lv . lv.