A record number of LGBTQ politicians won office in November 2022, raising hopes for broader progress. Maura Healey, the first lesbian governor of Massachusetts, made headlines for her win.

Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, is also the first openly gay presidential candidate to mount a serious campaign. Here are some other notable openly gay politicians around the world.

Barney Frank

OGUNQUIT, Maine (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — Politicians aren’t usually known for their honesty but former Congressman Barney Frank is different. The Democrat served from 1981 to 2013 and was the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay. He said that attitudes toward LGBT people have shifted significantly since he was first elected to the House from Massachusetts.

Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Frank was raised by his Jewish parents and moved to Boston in the nineteen seventies where he began working as a journalist. He volunteered for the Democratic Party and was encouraged by friends to run for state office. He won and became well known for his quick wit.

In 1987, tired of keeping his personal life a secret, Frank broke the silence and wrote an article that revealed he was a homosexual man. He faced a backlash but survived, winning reelections and accumulating a strong liberal legislative record. He later married his partner Jim Ready and has since retired to Ogunquit.

Eric Orner, a graphic novelist who has worked in film and television, has written a portrait of the iconic Democrat in “Smahtguy.” The book draws on memories and imagination to capture Frank’s quirks and his acerbic wit. There are plenty of profanities and Orner depicts the Senate as if it were full of snooty ancient Romans.

Tammy Baldwin

Ten years after making history as Wisconsin’s first openly gay senator, Baldwin remains a trailblazer. She’s at the vanguard of her party’s frantic effort to write same-sex marriage protections into federal law, seeking 10 Senate Republican votes for a filibuster-proof majority. And she’s doing it without the acrimony and rhetoric that other Democrats might use in such a high-profile battle.

The junior senator from Wisconsin grew up in a grandfamily and was raised by her grandparents, so she understands the hardships of family caregivers. She pushed bipartisan legislation through the Senate to support them, and her bill was signed into law in 2018. She’s also worked on issues ranging from cyberbullying to women’s rights and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

In addition to her legislative work, Baldwin is known as a thoughtful and dedicated member of the Senate. She’s a favorite among colleagues, particularly for her skill at whipping Democratic members to support bills. She’s also a popular figure for her work on behalf of military veterans, and for her deep understanding of rural and small-town issues. She serves on the Democratic leadership team, and is known for stepping in to preside over the Senate floor when Democrats need someone to do so. It’s one of the reasons why she has a national profile as a progressive leader.

Ruth Davidson

After her victory, she became the first openly gay politician to become leader of a major political party in the UK. She has also made a name for herself in foreign policy, particularly on the topic of gay rights in Israel. She has been an advocate of a Palestinian state, and has been critical of the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Her career has also included stints as an MSP for Glasgow and Edinburgh Central, as well as a minister in the Scottish government. She is a prominent proponent of the Scottish independence movement, but she has also called for a referendum on whether Scotland should stay in the UK.

She is also a vocal supporter of the LGBT community, and has been a key figure in pushing for gay marriage in the UK. She has also argued that religious institutions should not be forced to carry out gay weddings against their principles. Davidson is often characterized as a conservative but is seen as a centrist on social issues and has a right-wing stance on fiscal matters.

She has a strong following in Scotland, where she is known for her conservative values. She has also earned a reputation as an effective politician, and her popularity is growing outside of the United Kingdom. She has also been praised by LGBT groups for her work on the issue of homophobia in the UK.

Milk

Milk was one of America’s first openly gay elected officials. His election as a city supervisor gave hope to LGBT people across the country at a time when they faced widespread hostility and discrimination. Milk believed that politics could be a force for good, and that the more LGBT people came out of the closet, the more their friends and families would support the fight for equality.

After his service in the Navy, Milk worked as a teacher on Long Island and as a stock analyst in New York before moving to San Francisco in 1972 to open a camera store in the Castro neighborhood, which was at the center of the local gay community. His sense of theater and his flamboyance made him a popular figure in the area. Milk’s popularity grew when he began running for public office, and he won two supervisor elections. He campaigned as a tireless activist, and his activism was praised even by opponents.

Milk was assassinated in 1977, just a year after being elected. He had fought for LGBT rights in the face of fierce opposition, and he believed that his death was a blow to all civil rights. Today, he is remembered as an icon of gay liberation and an important figure in the history of American politics.