35 Bisexual Politicians You Should Know

Celebrating Bisexual Elected Officials

Despite polls that indicate bisexuals make up over half of the LGBTQ+ community, bi people often are stereotyped or not acknowledged, but that's changing. For Bi Visibility Day, observed annually on September 23, The Advocate is highlighting bisexual state lawmakers and members of Congress. That doesn't begin to count the numerous bi people who hold local offices — the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund/Victory Institute counts more than 130 bi elected officials at the state, local, and federal levels. For comparison, when The Advocate published a gallery of bi officeholders in 2012, we could find only six — five then serving in office, one out of office. This gallery doesn't include those no longer in office, but we'll give a shout-out to a few of them who were pioneers: Kate Brown, governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023 and the nation's first out bi governor; Angie Buhl O'Donnell, a South Dakota state senator from 2011 to 2017; and Evelyn Mantilla, a Connecticut state representative from 1997 to 2007, believed to be the nation's first out bi state legislator. Scroll on for our list of currently serving bi state and federal lawmakers, who are male, female, and nonbinary; cisgender and transgender; and representative of a diverse range of ethnicities.

Pictured, from left: State legislators Marisabel Cabrera, Zooey Zephyr, Ismail “Izzy” Smith-Wade-El, and Emily Dievendorf

Kyrsten Sinema

U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is the only out bisexual currently in Congress. Sinema, once a Democrat and now an independent, has disappointed some of us by taking less-than-liberal positions and supporting the filibuster, which has blocked some progressive legislation. But there's no doubt she has been a pioneer in bi representation. In 2012 she became the first out bi person elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and she followed that in 2018 by becoming the first known bi U.S. senator. Before serving in Congress, she was an Arizona state legislator.

Melody Hernandez, a Democrat, is in her first term in the Arizona House of Representatives. Hernandez, who has worked as a paramedic, recently succeeded in getting legislation passed to assure that 911 dispatchers have access to the same crisis counseling as other emergency personnel.

Alex Lee

Alex Lee, a Democrat, became California's first out bisexual legislator and its youngest Asian American legislator when he was elected to the state Assembly in 2020. He's an advocate for better housing, criminal justice reform, environmental protection, and much more.

Jennifer Lea Parenti

Democrat Jennifer Lea Parenti is a first-term member of the Colorado House. Successful legislation that she's sponsored includes a measure allowing some of the steps toward getting a marriage license to be done virtually.

Democrat David Ortiz is in his second term in the Colorado House. His legislative accomplishments include measures for tenants' rights and the rights of people with disabilities.

Liz Bennett

Democrat Liz Bennett was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2014, making her the first queer woman in that state's legislature. She served four terms in the House, and In 2022 she was elected to the state's Senate, becoming the first woman from the LGBTQ+ community in that chamber as well. She has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and the rights of workers and all marginalized people. She was one of The Advocate's Champions of Pride in 2020, and she has also received honors from Planned Parenthood, LGBTQ+ group One Iowa (where she once worked), Iowa Safe Schools, Des Moines Pride, and the Young Women’s Resource Center.

Heather Meyer

Heather Meyer, a Democrat, was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Kansas House of Representatives in 2021 and was elected in her own right in 2022. In the legislature she's advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, a nonbinary marker on driver's licenses and other identification, the legalization of recreational marijuana, and much more. She has also spent time pushing back against right-wing legislation and addressing the everyday concerns of her constituents. "There are people like me," she told The Advocatelast year, "who are regular people, who have struggled through life, who have tried really hard to make a difference in their communities, who threw their hat into the ring because I just wanted to do shit for people."

Lydia Crafts

Democrat Lydia Crafts is in her second term in the Maine House of Representatives. With a background in school social work, she has been active on issues including public education, environmental protection, climate change, health care, and support for small business.

Amy Roeder

Amy Roeder, another second-term Democrat in the Maine House, brings a varied résumé to her post. She has been an actress and director of film and stage productions; her credits include a stint in Chicago's prestigious Second City comedy troupe, and she still takes occasional acting jobs. She's a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity, is the daughter of union workers, and is passionate about labor rights and other progressive causes. “I owe my entire life to labor,” she said in an article published last year on the Maine AFL-CIO's website. She's also an adjunct professor at the University of Maine. And she keeps her sense of humor: On her personal X (formerly Twitter) bio, she warns, "I'm a former comedian so be prepared for politics AND fart jokes."

Charles Skold

Democrat Charles Skold was elected to the Maine House in 2022. He has pledged to fight back against right-wing efforts to roll back LGBTQ+ and minority rights. In June, as legislators debated a rating system for books with sexual content, he wondered aloud what rating the Bible would receive, as it includes stories of "sex, incest, rape, murder," as reported by the Maine Wire (which, it should be noted, is a far-right site). Skold knows his Bible; he earned a master of theological studies degree at Harvard University (along with a master of public administration degree) and worked for five years in college ministry at Tufts University.

Laurie Pohutsky

Laurie Pohutsky, a Democrat, is in her third term in the Michigan House and is its speaker pro tempore. With a degree in microbiology, she has worked in food safety, toxicology, and health care. "She brings this knowledge, along with her experience in water quality testing, with her to the Michigan House of Representatives," says the Michigan House Democrats website. "She has a deep commitment to bringing a scientific perspective to government and advocating for environmental causes.

Emily Dievendorf

Emily Dievendorf, the former executive director of Equality Michigan, is in her first term as a Democratic member of the Michigan House and is the first nonbinary person in the legislature. Dievendorf has worked for a variety of nonprofits dealing with civil rights, AIDS, and other concerns, and was on the Michigan Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, at one point becoming cochair. "As a legislator, Rep. Dievendorf is passionate about advocating for progressive policy, particularly on LGBTQIA equality, racial justice and equality, sexual and domestic violence, women’s rights, and HIV/AIDS," says the Michigan House Dems website.

Zack Stephenson

Democrat Zack Stephenson was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018. Before running for office, he was one of the lawyers representing LGBTQ+ students in a lawsuit over bullying and discrimination in Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin school district and helped negotiate a settlement. He went to school in that district, and in an Advocate column published in February, he noted that a gay schoolmate of his died by suicide — and he believes it was caused by homophobic harassment. He also wrote that he himself went through "sleepless nights full of internal struggles" in his youth over being bisexual. He once didn't feel entitled to come out as bi, as he's a masculine-presenting man married to a woman, but he decided it was important to do so to help others. "If being open about my own sexuality helps even one other person avoid feeling the way that I felt back then, it is worth it to me to tell this part of my story, regardless of the consequences for my own professional and political life," he wrote.

Liz Reyer

Liz Reyer, a Democrat, was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2020 and was elected from a different district in 2022. She's an advocate for reproductive rights, gun regulations, public school funding, and equality for all. She has "made a conscious commitment to use my time and my privilege to work for racial and economic justice in Minnesota," she wrote on her campaign website last year. She added, "I consciously use my white privilege to lift up the people who are too often let down by our systems. I am working to ensure that all voices are part of building the future of our community."

Jessica Hanson

Jessica Hanson has been a Democratic member of the Minnesota House since 2021. She's particularly proud of her recent accomplishments in helping to legalize recreational marijuana use, reform the state's tax system, and enact additional LGBTQ+ protections in the already queer-friendly state.

Andrea Olsen

Democrat Andrea Olsen served four terms in the Montana House, beginning in 2015, and moved up the the state's Senate with last year's election. She has been outspoken against the rash of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state. On a bill to ban gender-affirming care for trans minors, she said, “Who are we to deprive our constituents of their self-determination? Strip them of their access to live their lives fully in the pursuit of happiness?” Unfortunately, the bill passed and was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte.

Zooey Zephyr

Zooey Zephyr, a bisexual trans woman, was elected last year to the Montana House seat Andrea Olsen vacated to run for Senate, becoming one of the first two trans legislators in the state. Zephyr, a Democrat, quickly made waves and made news, as she was vociferously opposed to the bill to ban gender-affirming care for trans minors in the state. After she said lawmakers who voted for it would have blood on their hands, Republicans in the legislature voted to censure her and to eject her from the House chamber for the remainder of the session. She's ready to keep fighting, though, and she has had happy news in her personal life, as she recently became engaged to journalist Erin Reed.

Megan Hunt

Megan Hunt, first elected in 2018, has been a force to reckon with in Nebraska's one-chamber, officially nonpartisan state legislature, where all members have the title of senator. She was the first out LGBTQ+ person to be elected, and she is the mother of a transgender child, so she's been outspoken in favor of LGBTQ+ equality and other progressive causes. This year she and gay Sen. John Fredrickson joined in a filibuster led by straight ally Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh against a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth. They weren't able to keep it from passing, but they have taken their fight national, forming a political action committee, Don't Legislate Hate, to support pro-equality candidates around the country. She was once reluctant to talk about her child in a political context, she told The Advocate, but then she realized “I really have a unique platform and position to tell other parents of trans kids that I have their backs and also tell other Nebraskans who don’t have a trans person in their life that it’s normal. … There are trans people everywhere, and there always have been.”

Cecelia González

Cecelia González is in her second term as a Democratic member of the Nevada Assembly. She is of Thai and Mexican descent, and she has cited the importance of representation for both the Asian American and Latinx communities. Last year, she won reelection against Jake Holder, who'd switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican and decried "woke" policies. González's priority issues include reproductive freedom, which she's said she'll "fight like hell" to protect, and criminal justice reform.

Melanie Scheible

Melaine Scheible, a Democrat, has been in the Nevada Senate since 2018. She has been a human rights lawyer and a prosecutor, and her priority issues include affordable health care, reproductive freedom, and gun regulations.

James Roesener

James Roesener, a Democrat, was elected to New Hampshire's House of Representatives last year, becoming the first out trans man to serve in any state legislature in the U.S. "From safeguarding reproductive rights to increasing investment in New Hampshire’s education and health care systems, James is well prepared to enact legislation that will deliver lasting results for his community," Victory Fund President and CEO Annise Parker said in a press release when he was elected. "At a time of intensifying transphobia at all levels of government and society, he showed incredible courage throughout his historic campaign."

Cecil Brockman

Cecil Brockman, a Democrat, was been in the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2015. He came out as bi in 2016 after a man made homophobic comments to him and two friends — a married gay couple — in a restaurant, because his friends were wearing buttons expressing opposition to the state's infamous anti-trans "bathroom bill." That's now been repealed, but Brockman continues to fight for LGBTQ+ rights and other progressive concerns. "Coming out meant that the LGBTQ citizens of our state knew that someone had their back," he wrote for The Advocatein 2018. "It also would show my colleagues that these discriminatory bills aren't just exercises in rallying their base; they affect real people like me. Because of that, I will never stop fighting or using my voice as an openly LGBTQ representative on behalf of our community."

Democrat Annie Menz was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2022, becoming its first Latina member. She's a military veteran and a former nonpartisan legislative and executive assistant at the state capitol. “I’m fighting for the millions of Oklahoma children, veterans, and working families who need fully-funded public schools, mental health care, and a living wage," she said on her campaign website. "We lose too many neighbors to suicide, yet behavioral health appears less of a priority to some state leaders than a turnpike our community doesn’t want. As your State Representative, I demand accountability, meet folks where they are, and put service into action.”

Ismail "Izzy" Smith Wade-El

Democrat Ismail "Izzy" Smith Wade-El, who is bi and nonbinary, was elected to the Pennsylvania House last year, becoming its first nonbinary member. He was previously president of the Lancaster City Council, and he has worked as a community organizer and with nonprofit groups as a behavioral health counselor, grant writer, and provider of services to people experiencing homelessness. "Izzy has come to Harrisburg to partner with likeminded legislators to correct the Commonwealth’s laws that favor giant corporations, lobbyists, and a status quo that hurts working families," says his House website. "Those laws prevent the leveling of the playing field for friends and neighbors. He will advocate for legislation that puts power to the shared values of kindness, welcome, dignity, and care."

Greg Scott

Greg Scott, a Democrat, was elected to the Pennsylvania House last year. He was inspired to become politically active when he was in sixth grade and met President Bill Clinton. He's been a firefighter, the youngest sitting judge in the state, and a congressional aide, and he helped mobilize COVID-19 vaccine distribution. His priorities include criminal justice reform, improving access to health care,

Abigail Salisbury

Democrat Abigail Salisbury won a seat in the Pennsylvania House in a special election this year. She is a longtime human rights activist, has practiced and taught law, and has been executive director of Jurist.org, a legal news and commentary site. "Key issues for Salisbury include updating infrastructure, standing up for human rights for all citizens, fostering small business development, supporting public schools, and preserving the environment," says her House website.

Melissa Murray

Melissa Murray was elected to the Rhode Island Senate in 2018 after serving two terms on the Woonsocket City Council, where she was the first out LGBTQ+ member. She's an advocate for higher taxes on the wealthy, better benefits for the needy, improvements in health care, and restroom access for all genders.

Samuel Bell

Rhode Island Democrat Samuel Bell was spurred to activism by the massacre of children and teachers in Newtown, Conn., in 2012. He became an advocate for reform of gun laws but found resistance, then discovered the National Rifle Association was making illegal campaign contributions to some Rhode Island legislators. The NRA ended up paying a huge fine. Elected to the Rhode Island Senate in 2018, he's continued his work for gun control, along with better access to health care and other moves to improve the quality of life in his state. When not legislating, he's a geologist with the Planetary Science Institute.

Erin Zwiener

Democrat Erin Zwiener has been in the Texas House since 2019. She's now part of a record nine out Texas lawmakers doing what they can to fight anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state. “One of the strengths of having so many out members is we all have different expertises,” she told The Texas Tribune. “It saved us from being pigeonholed in a way that I think was really powerful for helping many people both in this building and in the larger community see LGBTQ people as full humans.” She's also a teacher and author, and she actually is from Driftwood!

Sahara Hayes

Sahara Hayes, a Democrat, was elected to the Utah House last year after a career in local government and nonprofit groups. She's an advocate for public education, environmental protection, health care access, affordable housing, and the rights of LGBTQ+ youth.

Mary-Katherine Stone

Mary-Katherine Stone is a first-term Democrat in the Vermont House. She's an occupational therapist, a volunteer with many community organizations, and an artist and performer with interests including stained glass and dance. Her priority issues include paid family and medical leave, assistance to people experiencing homelessness, reproductive freedom, and the environment.

Kelly Convirs-Fowler

Democrat Kelly Convirs-Fowler was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017. She has advocated for improved access to health care, reproductive freedom, public education, and much more. “I knew I had to be the change I wanted to see in the world," she notes on her website. "I knew I owed it to my daughters to do more than just march. So I ran and I won. I will continue fighting for families in Virginia.”

Beth Doglio

Beth Doglio served in the Washington House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021, leaving office after she'd lost the 2020 Democratic primary in her district, but was elected to the House again last year. Before running for office, she worked with environmental and reproductive rights organizations. As a legislator, she has continued to work on those issues along with gun control, workers' rights, and services for the unhoused, among others.

Marisabel Cabrera

Marisabel Cabrera, a small-business owner and immigration attorney, was first elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2018. A Democrat, she has advocated for elimination of the "LGBTQ+ panic" defense in criminal cases and other moves benefiting the queer community. She's a former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party's Latino Caucus and has been named one of the state's most powerful members of the Latinx community. She is vice chair of the immigration task force of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

Lee Snodgrass

Democrat Lee Snodgrass was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2020. She's an advocate for environmental and LGBTQ+ causes, among others. She became the Minority Caucus Sergeant at Arms in 2023.