Trailblazers: Profiles of America+s Gay and Lesbian Elected Officials

by Yeager; Kenneth S

• ISBN13: 9780789002990
• ISBN10: 078900299X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-12-08
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Trailblazers: Profiles of America'¬"s Gay and Lesbian Elected Officials (winner of the Victory Foundation Civic Leadership Award) is a quick reference to the most comprehensive list of the country'¬"s openly gay and lesbian officials. You'¬"ll read about 14 of these representatives in greater depth, getting to know them personally and professionally.Trailblazers identifies representatives from local, state, and national levels from all over the country. In each profile, you'¬"ll examine the relationship between the elected official and his or her constituency. You'¬"ll also explore public reactions to openly gay and lesbian politicians, some of whom are also ethnic minorities, and how this affects the job that they do. Trailblazers offers an in-depth, personal look at the lives of some of the politicians involved in the history of gay and lesbian activism over the last 20 years. Specifically, you'¬"ll read about the lives of: Tina Podloski, a lesbian mother and Seattle Councilwoman Tom Duane, a New York Councilman with HIV Sabrina Sojourner, an African-American lesbian shadow representative in Washington, DC William Weybourn, the founder of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which helps to elect gay and lesbian candidates to public office Jose Plata, a gay Hispanic Dallas School Trustee In addition to giving you keen insight into the lives of these officials, Trailblazers can help you if you decide to run for election, putting a checklist of campaign dos and don'¬"ts at your fingertips. An enlightening book about the private and public achievements of our gay and lesbian politicians, Trailblazers is a valuable addition to any personal or professional library.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(12)
The Longest-Serving Openly Gay Elected Official in America: Minnesota State Senator Allan Spear	13	(16)
Triumph in a County Where Defeat Is the Norm: Dade County Judge Victoria Sigler	29	(18)
On This Six to Eight Inches of Topsoil: Mayor Bill Crews, Melbourne, Iowa	47	(18)
Love Is All It Takes to Make a Family: Seattle City Councilwoman Tina Podlodowski	65	(18)
Even Potholes Can Be Interesting: San Diego City Councilwoman Christine Kehoe	83	(16)
Living, Fighting, and Governing with HIV: New York City Councilman Tom Duane	99	(14)
Politics in a War Zone: Dallas School Trustee Jose Plata	113	(18)
Climbing the Political Ladder: California Assemblywoman Carole Migden	131	(16)
The Outing of a Gay Republican Mayor: Mayor Neil Giuliano, Tempe, Arizona	147	(18)
Working for a Fair and Equitable Society: U.S. Shadow Representative Sabrina Sojourner	165	(12)
Taking Destiny into Their Own Hands: A Portrait of West Hollywood	177	(18)
With Each Election Comes a New Spring: Victory Fund Founder William Waybourn	195	(14)
The Making of a Candidate: A Personal Memoir	209	(22)
Campaign Checklist for Gay and Lesbian Candidates	231	(6)
Appendix A: A Selected Chronology of Gay and Lesbian Elected Officials	237	(16)
Appendix B: Listing of Gay and Lesbian Elected Officials	253	(8)
Notes	261	(4)
Index	265