Off the Grid: Meet America's 1st Openly Bisexual Governor

Kate Brown (D), has become America's first openly bisexual Governor.  The former Oregon Secretary of State was sworn in this morning, replacing former governor, John Kitzhaber, who resigned after allegations of corruption surfaced regarding his fiance. 

According to MSNBC, 

"[Brown] was the country’s first bisexual statewide officeholder, and previously served for almost two decades in Oregon’s House and Senate.  The only other LGBT governor in U.S. history was former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who was pressured to announce he was gay and resign in 2004 amid sexual harassment allegations."

Here's a short essay that Kate Brown wrote in a survey called Out and Elected in the USA, which documented experiences of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals elected to US public office between 1974 and 2004.  She wrote, 

"I believe it was during my early 30’s that I figured out who, or what, I am.  But it wasn’t until it was written in the Oregonian newspaper that I was bisexual that I had to face the inevitable and let those around me know.  Thus began my very public coming out as a bisexual.

• Coming out to my parents – who flew in from Minnesota “to have a talk.”  Their response – “It would be much easier for us if you were a lesbian.”

• Coming out to my gay friends – who called me half-queer.

• Coming out to my straight friends – who never thought I could make up my mind about anything anyway.

And, most frighteningly to me:

• Coming out to my legislative colleagues.  At the beginning of the next legislative session sitting in the House lounge, representative Bill Markham, who is over 70 years old, extremely conservative, and a legislator for more than 20 years comes to join me.  Over lunch he looks up to say, 'Read in the Oregonian a few months ago you were bisexual.  Guess that means I still have a chance?!'  [this is a commentary in itself about the treatment of women in the workplace.]

 Some days I feel like I have a foot in both worlds, yet never really belonging to either."

Go Kate Brown!  It's nice to see another woman in office, and one who will represent the LGBT community at that.  Let's expand our handful of female names in politics.  We need more Hillary Clintons, Elizabeth Warrens, Elise Stefaniks, and Barbara Boxers.  No Sarah Palins though.  We can leave the Palins out.  See our video below for reference.