On November 8, 2016 C.E., Oregon voters made history at the ballot box. Kate Brown, who had already been serving as governor after assuming the role from her predecessor, won a special election to the office in her own right — becoming the first openly LGBT person, and the first openly bisexual governor, elected to lead any U.S. state.
Key facts
- First openly bisexual governor: Brown’s 2016 C.E. special election win made her the first openly LGBT person elected governor in U.S. history, a milestone that followed a decades-long career in Oregon politics.
- Oregon electoral milestone: Brown also became only the second woman ever elected governor of Oregon, after Barbara Roberts — adding a second layer of historic significance to the 2016 C.E. result.
- LGBTQ political trailblazer: Brown had already broken barriers in 2008 C.E. when she became the first openly LGBT person elected to statewide office anywhere in the United States, winning the Oregon Secretary of State race.
A career built before the spotlight found her
Brown’s path to the governorship was not a single dramatic leap. It was three decades of incremental, deliberate work inside Oregon’s political institutions.
She began in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1991 C.E., appointed to fill a vacancy in a Portland seat. She went on to serve in the state Senate, where she rose to majority leader — a role she held from 2003 C.E. to 2009 C.E. During that stretch, she helped Democrats tie the Republicans in the chamber and pushed through significant pension reform legislation, even while navigating the competing demands of coalition politics.
In 2008 C.E., she won the Oregon Secretary of State race by a 51–46% margin. In that role, she implemented online voter registration, championed automatic voter registration through driver’s license data, and used tablet technology to expand ballot access for voters with disabilities — making Oregon the first jurisdiction in the country to do so.
When Governor John Kitzhaber resigned amid a public corruption scandal in February 2015 C.E., the Oregon Constitution directed that the Secretary of State succeed him. Brown became governor without an election. The 2016 C.E. special election gave voters the chance to weigh in directly — and they did.
What the first openly bisexual governor milestone means
Brown was open about her identity throughout her career. She did not arrive at visibility through a single public announcement — her bisexuality was simply a known part of who she was, and Oregon voters returned her to office at every level.
The Human Rights Campaign has tracked LGBTQ electoral progress for decades, and Brown’s 2016 C.E. win represented a watershed in that data. Before her, openly LGBT candidates had won local offices, congressional seats, and statewide positions — but never the governorship of any state.
That distinction matters in practical terms. Governors appoint judges, shape budgets, set law enforcement priorities, and respond to emergencies. The office carries real power. Winning it openly, without concealing any part of her identity, sent a signal about what had become possible in American electoral politics.
The National Conference of State Legislatures has documented a steady rise in openly LGBTQ lawmakers at every level since the 1990s C.E. Brown’s career arc parallels and, in some moments, accelerated that trend.
Lasting impact
Brown’s election did not exist in isolation. It arrived at the end of a decade that had already seen the federal legalization of same-sex marriage, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and a measurable shift in public opinion on LGBTQ rights tracked by Gallup over many years.
But it also created something durable: proof of concept. Candidates who are openly bisexual, gay, lesbian, or transgender could point to Brown’s win at the highest level of state executive power as evidence that identity alone would not disqualify them in the eyes of voters.
In the years after 2016 C.E., the number of openly LGBTQ people running for — and winning — state and federal office continued to grow. The Victory Institute, which tracks LGBTQ elected officials, reported record numbers of out candidates winning office in subsequent election cycles. Oregon’s vote was one data point in a larger pattern, but it was a visible and significant one.
Brown also advanced specific policy priorities during her tenure: expanding Medicaid access, signing legislation protecting LGBTQ Oregonians from discrimination, and maintaining the moratorium on executions that her predecessor had enacted.
Blindspots and limits
Brown left office in January 2023 C.E. with the lowest approval ratings of any sitting U.S. governor at that time — a reminder that historic milestones and effective governance are separate measures. Her tenure drew criticism over homelessness policy, wildfire response, and school outcomes during the pandemic.
It is also worth noting that representation at the top of government does not automatically translate into improved conditions for LGBTQ communities more broadly, particularly for those facing compounding disadvantages of poverty, race, or geography. The milestone was real; the work it represents is ongoing.
Read more
For more on this story, see: Kate Brown — Wikipedia
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Marie-Louise Eta becomes the first female head coach in men’s top-flight European football
- Global suicide rate has fallen by 40% since 1995
- The Good News for Humankind archive on LGBTQ rights
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