{"id":198518,"date":"2025-01-30T14:56:34","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T19:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=198518"},"modified":"2025-02-24T11:38:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T16:38:17","slug":"119th-congress-lgbtq-members-include-first-trans-representative","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/01\/30\/119th-congress-lgbtq-members-include-first-trans-representative\/","title":{"rendered":"119th Congress\u2019 LGBTQ members include first trans representative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Democratic
Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware \u2013 Congress’ first openly transgender member \u2013 appears in the U.S. Capitol before being sworn in to the 119th Congress on Jan. 3, 2025. (Tom Williams\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thirteen members of the 119th Congress are openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ), according to a Pew Research Center analysis of official biographies, news reports and candidate databases. This total includes Congress\u2019 first openly trans member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of LGBTQ members<\/a> hasn\u2019t changed since the last Congress<\/a>, but it has grown markedly since the start of the 111th Congress in 2009. At that time, two members were openly gay men and one was a lesbian, according to data from the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a political action committee that works to elect LGBTQ+ candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One senator and 12 members of the House of Representatives identify as lesbian, gay, transgender or queer as of Jan. 3, when the 119th Congress was sworn in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/summary>\n

This analysis is part of Pew Research Center\u2019s work to analyze the demographic makeup of the 119th U.S. Congress. To determine the number of lawmakers in the current and previous Congresses who are openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, we used data from the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund<\/a>, a political action committee that works to elect LGBTQ+ politicians; Brookings Vital Statistics on Congress<\/a>; and our own analysis of official biographies, campaign websites and news articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our analysis reflects the 533 voting members of Congress as of Jan. 3, 2025, the first day of the new Congress. It does not include the Florida House seat vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz<\/a> or the Senate seat that former West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice<\/a> assumed on Jan. 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For data on the 118th Congress, we exclude Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler<\/a> who was appointed in 2023 to fill a vacancy but didn\u2019t seek reelection. Butler was the first Black openly lesbian<\/a> U.S. senator. This analysis of LGBTQ representation among senators and representatives is limited to the gender and sexual identities that have been openly represented in the U.S. Congress. As of the 119th Congress, this includes lesbian, gay, transgender and queer members. No current members publicly identify as bisexual.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The only bisexual member of the last Congress, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, did not seek reelection in 2024<\/a>. That means Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin \u2013 elected in 2012 as the first openly gay senator<\/a> \u2013 is again the Senate\u2019s only LGBTQ lawmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 13 openly LGBTQ members of the new Congress are Democrats. Ten are returning members and three are new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the House, Sarah McBride of Delaware is the first openly transgender member of Congress<\/a>. Two other incoming House members also made history:<\/p>\n\n\n\n