Out of the 435 members of the US House of Representatives, only about 2% are part of the LBGTQ community. However, the current US Congress has broken all previous records and has been tagged as the most inclusive and diverse group of lawmakers, so far.

The 117th US Congress, which convened on January 3 earlier this year, has nine Congresspersons who also represent the LGBTQ community. 

According to reports from Washington Post, seven out of the nine elected lawmakers were incumbents from their respective districts, while two added after the 2020 election. The list includes David N. Cicilline, Sharice Davids, Chris Pappas, Sean Maloney, Mark Pocan, Mark Takano, Angie Craig, Mondaire Jones, and Ritchie Torres. 

Moreover, Senators Tammy Baldwin, who identifies as lesbian, and Kyrsten Sinema, who identifies as bisexual, get the total number of queer lawmakers up to 11.

Is the LGBTQ representation enough for a smooth path to queer rights in the United States?

The United States Supreme Court has passed a few landmark judgements in the last decade and allowed same-sex couples to marry and also ruled an individual shall not lose their job solely due to their sexuality. 

However, it seems that the efforts for achieving equality for the queer community are far from over. 

The Equality Act is considered to be one of the most promising legislation in the US which is working towards stopping discrimination on the basis of identity, sexual orientation and gender. Although, the legislation has been stuck in the pipelines after being passed in the House earlier this month.

The legislation, if passed, could also impact the curriculums that are currently in place in American classrooms. This means that the content being delivered to students in the country could be reviewed and given an LGBTQ-inclusive edge, according to reports from USA Today.  

A similar legislation was proposed in the House in 2019. However, the US Senate was dominated by the members of the GOP back then, which resulted in the bill being stopped on its track.

US President Joe Biden’s core cabinet has also garnered the reputation of being one of the most inclusive cabinets so far. 

Pete Buttigieg, on February 3, 2021, became the Secretary of Transportation and the first openly queer cabinet member.

Rachel Levine became the Assistant Secretary for Health on March 26, 2021 and also became the first openly transgender US federal official to be confirmed by the senate.