On Tuesday, the state of Oregon elected Kate Brown as governor. Brown is openly bisexual.
Back in 2015, Brown was serving as Oregon’s Secretary of State when former Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned his post amid scandal. Since Oregon doesn’t have a lieutenant governor, Brown was first in line. Now, she’ll serve out the remaining two years of the four-year term Kitzhaber won in 2014.
Her election this week marks the first time in United States history that an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) person has been elected governor of a state. She is also the second woman ever to be elected governor of Oregon.
Note: Gov. Brown isn’t the first openly LGBT person to serve as governor of a state. That would be New Jersey’s Jim McGreevey, who came out as gay in 2004 before resigning months later.
Last month, Brown spoke to the Washington Blade about what her historic victory could mean. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” she said. “If I can be a role model for one young person that decides that their life is worth living because there’s someone like them in the world, it’s worth it.”
Learn more about Gov. Brown here.