Gay congressman

Jean Wyllys: Gay congressman quits post and flees Brazil due to death threats

An openly gay congressman in Brazil has quit and fled the country after receiving death threats following the election of President Jair Bolsonaro.

Jean Wyllys announced on Thursday that he would not be serving his new term in office, starting next month, despite existence re-elected for the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) in October.

In a resignation letter, Mr Wyllys said threats of violence made against him, and his mother and siblings, had made his life unbearable.

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He said he had barely left his place in Rio de Janeiro in recent weeks, and partly blamed a worsening culture of aggression in the state on the climb to power of the controversial far-right figure Mr Bolsonaro.

Mr Bolsonaro's election campaign was marked by divisive rhetoric and derogatory remarks about women, gay people and ethnic minorities, which saw him dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics".

Among the incendiary comments he has made during his 28-year political career were remarks that he would "rather his son die in a car accident than be gay" and another wher

Representative Gerry Studds served the Massachusetts South Shore, Cape Cod, and New Bedford congressional district from 1973 to 1997. During his first decade in the House he helped pass legislation that protected American fishermen from overfishing by international boats and limited President Ronald Reagan's wars in Central America.

The defining moment of his career, however, came in 1983, when he was censured by the Property for having had an affair with a page ten years previously. On the floor of Congress, Studds confessed to having behaved inappropriately and then courageously declared that he was a gay man—becoming the country's first openly gay member of Congress. Defying all expectations, Studds won reelection in a bruising campaign. For the rest of his career, he remained loyal to his constituents' concerns while also championing AIDS research and care, leading the effort in Congress to allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military, and opposite the Defense of Marriage Act. Once a deeply conflicted man, he ultimately found a stabilize between his common service and his private life, which included a content, legally recognized marriage.

Groundbreaking wins marked the 2024 general election with historic firsts. The new House of Representatives will be sworn in on January 3, 2025, at noon. This date marks the beginning of the 119th Congress. The history-makers include:

Sarah McBride (D-DE)

Sarah McBride was already the highest-ranking transgender elected official in the United States when she won her election in November 2020 to be the country’s first openly trans person state senator. With her historic win in the election for Delaware’s at-large congressional district will also be the first out LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Delaware.

Following the election but prior to her swearing-in, the House, led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) following a series of anti-transgender attacks by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), banned transsexual people from using single-sex bathrooms on Capitol Hill that compare their gender identity.

McBride responded with a post on X: “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms, I’m here to battle for Delawareans and to take down costs facing families. Fancy all members, I will shadow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them. This strive to distract from the rea

Queens congressman-elect talks Jan. 6, being a gay Republican

George Santos is heading to Washington in January to represent a congressional district that spans parts of Queens and Nassau County. The first openly queer Republican elected to Congress, Santos beat Democrat Robert Zimmerman in what was believed to be the first general election congressional race between two openly gay candidates.

Despite some Republicans opposing gay marriage and discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms, Santos told Errol Louis on "Inside Capital Hall" he will be able to work with his colleagues and aide educate them "that it's not about ostracizing the gay community, it's about respecting one another."

The Queens resident pointed to 47 Republicans, of 211 total, voting to protect gay marriage over the summer as evidence his party is moving in the right direction on LGBTQ issues. He also noted Republicans nominated him to run for Congress the last two cycles, knowing he was gay.

"This isn't a matter of cultural or religious issue, it's a matter of autonomy, freedom for all," Santos said. "And that means the gay and dyke community at