Wednesday, out lesbian Assembly Majority Floor Leader Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, was elected the next Speaker of the California Assembly. She is the first open lesbian to serve as speaker—and she takes over from the first openly gay man, current Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez. The Speaker of the Assembly has often been described as the second most powerful person in state politics after the governor.
Though Atkins would be the first full-time out lesbian Speaker in history, she would not be the first to bang the gavel. Westside Democrat Sheila James Kuehl—California’s first elected openly gay lawmaker—served as speaker pro tem during the 1997-1998 session, and San Diego legislative heroine Christine Kehoe was elected assembly speaker pro tem during her time in the Assembly from 2000-2004.
Prior to Atkins, two other women held the important statewide position in line for the governorship—Doris Allen held the Assembly Speakership in 1995, and Karen Bass held it from 2008-2010.
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