Being gay is still considered taboo in many countries around the world. However, there have been a few countries who have elected openly gay leaders to lead their nations. In this article, we will explore the countries that have had gay heads of state.
1. Iceland
In 2009, Iceland elected Johanna Sigurdardottir as the Prime Minister. She was the world's first openly gay head of state. Sigurdardottir served as Iceland's Prime Minister until 2013.
2. Belgium
Elio Di Rupo was elected as the Prime Minister of Belgium in 2011. He was the first openly gay Prime Minister in Belgium and in the European Union. Di Rupo served as Prime Minister until 2014.
3. Luxembourg
Xavier Bettel became the Prime Minister of Luxembourg in 2013. He is currently serving as the Prime Minister and is the first openly gay head of government in the country.
4. Ireland
Leo Varadkar was elected as the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland in 2017. He is the first openly gay Prime Minister of Ireland and the first of South Asian descent. Varadkar is still serving as Taoiseach.
5. Serbia
In 2017, Ana Brnabic was appointed as the Prime Minister of Serbia. She is the first openly gay person and the first woman to hold the position in the country.
6. Costa Rica
In 2018, Carlos Alvarado Quesada was elected as the President of Costa Rica. He is an openly gay man and is the first President in Latin America to openly support same-sex marriage.
7. Serbia (Again)
Brnabic was reappointed as the Prime Minister of Serbia in 2020. She is still the only openly gay Prime Minister of Serbia and the first woman to hold the position twice.
8. Luxembourg (Again)
Bettel was reelected as the Prime Minister of Luxembourg in 2018. He is still serving as Prime Minister and is the first openly gay head of government in the country to be reelected.
9. Finland
Sanna Marin was elected as the Prime Minister of Finland in 2019. She is the youngest Prime Minister in Finnish history and the world's youngest serving Prime Minister at the age of 34. Marin is also the third openly gay Prime Minister in the world.
10. Serbia (Yet Again)
In 2020, Igor Matovic was elected as the Prime Minister of Serbia. He is the first openly gay Prime Minister in the country.
11. New Zealand
Jacinda Ardern was elected as the Prime Minister of New Zealand in 2017. Although she has never publicly identified as gay, Ardern has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has marched in Pride parades.
12. Scotland
Ruth Davidson was the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019. She is openly gay and was the first leader of a major political party in the UK to be openly gay.
13. Malta
Robert Abela was elected as the Prime Minister of Malta in 2020. Although he has not publicly identified as gay, Abela has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has supported the introduction of civil unions in the country.
14. Denmark
Helle Thorning-Schmidt was elected as the Prime Minister of Denmark in 2011. Although she has not publicly identified as gay, Thorning-Schmidt has been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and has supported same-sex marriage in the country.
15. Serbia (Once Again)
Dragan Djilas was elected as the Mayor of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, in 2020. He is openly gay and has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in the country.
16. Norway
Jonas Gahr Støre was the leader of the Norwegian Labour Party from 2005 to 2014. Although he has not publicly identified as gay, Støre has been a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and has advocated for same-sex marriage in Norway.
17. Canada
Although Justin Trudeau, the current Prime Minister of Canada, is not openly gay, he has been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and has supported same-sex marriage and transgender rights in the country.
18. Portugal
António Costa was elected as the Prime Minister of Portugal in 2015. Although he has not publicly identified as gay, Costa has been an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and has supported same-sex marriage in the country.
19. Austria
Although Werner Kogler, the Vice-Chancellor of Austria, is not openly gay, he has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has supported same-sex marriage in the country.
20. United States
Pete Buttigieg made history in 2021 when he was confirmed as the Secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration. Buttigieg is openly gay and was the first openly gay person to win a presidential primary in the US when he ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020.