Lesbian Elected Mayor
of Zurich

Corine Mauch, who is openly gay, was elected mayor of Zurich on Sunday, making Zurich the most prominent international city to elect an out lesbian mayor to date. The historic election also made Mauch the first female mayor of the largest city in Switzerland. Mauch, who belongs to the center-left Social Democratic Party, defeated Kathrin Martelli, representing a coalition of center-right parties, by more than 11,000 votes in a campaign dominated by talk about gender and sexuality. The two women faced each other in a second election after the first, in February, left neither with enough votes to win.

Mauch, 49, has lived with her partner for many years, according to OpEdNews.com. She played bass with two rock bands, The Hoover and Fallacy, in the 1990s. Mauch will replace outgoing mayor Elmar Ledergerber when he officially steps down in May. Zurich joins Paris, Berlin, and Hamburg as major international cities with openly gay mayors, though all previously elected gay mayors have been male.