bialogue-group:
Former Connecticut Democratic State Rep. Evelyn Mantilla came out as the nation’s first bisexual state official in 1997. Since then the number of bisexual state-level officials who have come out during their term has slowly grown to six. According to the Victory Fund, there are more than 7,000 state-level legislators in the US, about 90 of who identify as LGBTQ. In her book “Bisexuality in the United States: A Social Science Reader”, author Paula C. Rust describes the discrimination that bisexuals face from the gay and straight communities, resulting in exclusion and lack of recognition.
- Evelyn Mantilla, Connecticut, State Representative The nation’s first out bisexual state official, who came out in 1997, was in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1997 to 2007. Mantilla received several awards from the Connecticut Institute for Community Development and from the National Association of Social Workers, among others. Mantilla came out at a June LGBT Pride festival; in her speech she also proposed to her partner, Babette. In 2006, Mantilla decided not to run for reelection and her term expired in January 2007.
- Angie Buhl, South Dakota, State Senator First elected in 2011, Buhl is not only bisexual, but she’s also the youngest woman to ever serve in the South Dakota Senate. Her efforts can be seen in a variety of arenas, including working as a small business consultant, advocating for women’s rights, protecting employment for seniors and veterans, and serving on Judiciary, Commerce and Energy, Retirement Laws, and Interim Rules Review Committees.
- Micah Kellner, New York, State Representative First elected in 2007 and currently up for reelection, Kellner has since pursued environmental and socially-conscious legislation, including affordable housing, mass transit, animal rights, marriage equality, and increased funding for New York City’s public schools. Kellner, who was born with cerebral palsy, is also a strong advocate for rights of persons with disabilities.
- Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona, former State Senator, now running for Congress Sinema is running to represent Arizona’s 9th Congressional district. Defeating her Republican opponent would make Sinema the first out bisexual member of Congress. Sinema has said her impoverished childhood ultimately propelled the desire to run for state senator in 2011. During her first term in state office, Sinema secured funding for veterans, fought against budget cuts toward health care for children and the elderly, and prevented budget cuts in education.
- Kate Brown, Oregon, Secretary of State Brown is the highest ranking out bisexual official in the U.S. (since Oregon has no lieutenant governor, Brown is second only to the governor). Brown has served Oregonians for more than 20 years, working in family and juvenile law, teaching at Oregon State University, and working with the Juvenile Rights Project. Her legislative achievements since 2009 include leading efforts to reduce health care costs, ensuring education dollars reach classrooms, and pushing to get legislative meetings held in communities to ensure political transparency.
- JoCasta Zamarripa, Wisconsin, State Representative First elected in 2010 as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, District 8, Zamarripa is now running for reelection. Before taking office, Zamarripa worked as a nonprofit professional as educator and community outreach coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
Three of the legislators Hon. JoCasta Zamarripa, Hon. Angie Buhl and Hon. Micah Z. Kellnerer are all currently Obama delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Charlottee NC.
(via bisexual-community)
![bialogue-group:
“Many brave people have fought back against Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s anti-immigrant campaign. Now, with a lawsuit under way in Phoenix, their work is finally being recognized.” Among the eight prominently featured in this article is Kyrsten Sinema an out bisexual politician who came to prominence in Arizona for her many years of leadership in the fight for LGBTQ rights, most notably marriage equality. In 2006 she chaired “Arizona Together Coalition”, the statewide campaign that defeated Proposition 107 which would have banned the recognition of same-sex marriage and civil unions in Arizona. In 2008, she also led the campaign against Proposition 102 a less draconian law that still banned same sex marriage & civil unions that unfortunately did pass. In 2010 Sinema was one of only two out LGBTQ elected officials picked as one of Time Magazine’s “40 Under 40” saying “In an epic election cycle, a new generation of civic leaders is already at work trying to fix a broken system—and restore faith in the process. Meet the rising stars of American politics”.
In Arpaio’s Arizona, They Fought Back
In the Arizona Legislature, an elective body of astounding dimness, one of the few bright lights was Kyrsten Sinema, who as a state senator gave a blistering critique of S.B. 1070, the state’s radical, Arpaio-inspired immigration law. (She sponsored several bills to rein in the abuses of Sheriff Arpaio and his ally Mr. Thomas, the county attorney, though her colleagues didn’t go along.)
Ms. Sinema, who is a lawyer and on the faculty of the Arizona State University School of Social Work, debated the law for hours with its sponsor, Russell Pearce, ruthlessly exposing its many legal flaws. The law was later eviscerated by the United States Supreme Court, too. Arizona voters eventually recalled Mr. Pearce.
Today, Ms. Sinema [Ed Note: an out bisexual person who is being actively supported by the Victory Fund ] is running for US Congress.
This Is What a Bisexual Political Leader Looks Like!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7kxfe6LIV1qiv3izo1_500.jpg)
