By Laura Pontari
On February 18, 2015 Kate Brown was sworn in as Governor of Oregon, making her the United States’ first openly bisexual governor. Brown has served as Oregon Secretary of State since 2008. She was sworn in after the resignation of four-term Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, because by Oregon law the Secretary of State is second in line in the state’s executive succession.
Kitzhaber resigned following a series of ethical scandals surrounding the business proceedings of his fiancé, Cylvia Hayes. Hayes is the founder and CEO of 3EStratagies, an environmental consulting firm that aims to enact environmentally conscious changes to the economy. Hayes has been accused of using her access to Kitzhaber to leverage her business. Reports have surfaced that she accepted nearly $200,000 in payments from environmental nonprofits at the same time the Kitzhaber administration was introducing legislation on a policy relating to statewide carbon fuel standards. This violates ethics rules and may result in criminal charges against the Governor and the First Lady. In response to the media frenzy surrounding the scandal Kizhaber announced his resignation on February 13.
Brown’s ascension to the Governor’s mansion is the highlight of her political career. A lawyer by trade, she was elected to the Oregon State House in 1991.She served there for three terms before being elected to Oregon State Senate. Brown was chosen as the Senate Democratic Leader in 1998, and she became the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Leader in 2004. She was elected Secretary of State in 2008 and was reelected in 2012.
Brown’s story is both a triumph for the LGBTQ community, and a testament to how far the United States has come since she began her career in politics just two decades ago. In a recent interview Brown explained her terror at being discovered as a bisexual in her career as a family lawyer: “I was walking on eggshells the whole time. Like I couldn’t be who I am. I’m not free to be myself. It feels like you’re cutting off your legs or your arms. It feels like you can’t be a whole person.”
Brown came out as a bisexual early in her career as a state legislator through an essay on Outhistory.org, a resource that chronicles the history of the LGBTQ community. Brown’s essay explains how her parents flew in for her “coming out”. They told her “It would be much easier for us if you were a lesbian” because even within the LGBTQ community, bisexuality is a ambiguous gray area filled with stigma and misunderstanding. Those who seek to invalidate it often consider bisexuality a “cop-out,” or a cover for homosexuality.
After publically announcing her bisexuality Brown faced pushbacks from fellow legislators. She often tells the story of a senior legislator who said that “I guess that means I still have a chance?” Brown has handled defamation with poise, not letting personal differences interfere with her obligation to her constituents. She has been married to her husband Dan Little for 15 years; her marriage is often an area of criticism for those who seek to deny the validity of her sexuality. Little, a U.S Forest Service data analyst has historically maintained his distance from Brown’s political life, making their relationship different from Kitzhaber and Hayes’ and a breath of fresh air for Oregon’s scandal-fatigued voters.
The extensive media coverage surrounding Brown’s rise to power has brought further national attention to issues facing the LGBTQ community. Stacey Long Simmons, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the National LGBTQ Task Force, considers Brown’s inauguration “…an opportunity to talk about the realities of what it means to be bisexual.” With the exception of a few isolated incidents of discrimination, Kate Brown has been widely accepted within the Oregon legislature. This is a testament to Oregon’s liberal political culture. The current Oregon Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek, is openly lesbian, and Oregon was one of the first states to permit same-sex marriage, with legalization occurring in May 2014.
While her sexuality has taken the spotlight following her swearing in, Brown hopes to focus on the political task at hand instead of her personal life. She wants to eliminate corruption from Oregon’s government. She has pledged not to abuse her position for outside compensation, and said she will not tolerate this from any members of her staff. Her commitment to ethical standards within the state government shows that Brown has not lost focus amid the chaos of the former governor’s resignation. She stands firm in her attack on corruption, and, through this, hopes to regain the public’s trust.
It is the hope of the LGBTQ community that Brown’s takeover of the executive office will continue to spark conversation about the LGBTQ community’s role in politics, and challenge the stigma facing bisexuality. With a growing number of LGBTQ politicians, and the rising prominence of LGBTQ celebrities in popular culture, leaps and bounds have been made towards equality. With Brown at the forefront, success seems imminent.
