Remember When: LGBTQ+ History Was Made in the U.S. Senate

On November 6, 2012, Wisconsin voters made history — and progress.

That day, Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay person ever elected to the U.S. Senate.

Baldwin had already broken barriers in 1998, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ woman elected to the U.S. House. Fourteen years later, she shattered another glass ceiling, not by hiding who she was — but by standing proudly in her truth.

Her win sent a powerful message: representation matters. Visibility matters. And no identity should be a barrier to public service.

“I didn’t run to make history,” she said at the time. “I ran to make a difference.”

And she did both.

NBC News