Prior to serving as City Council speaker, she sponsored the Equal Benefits Bill, which opted for benefits between domestic partners and she advocated the Health Care Security Act, which ensured that grocery workers receive health coverage.

Quinn attracted widespread attention in 2006 when she refused to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Its organizers have banned gay and lesbian organizations from participating since 1991.

Quinn, an open lesbian, wanted to wear her gay pride pin during the parade but regulations were not amended in her favor, so she boycotted instead.

Brown defeated Republican Rick Dancer and Green Party candidate Seth Woolley.

In the state senate Brown had been majority leader, but she faced a tough battle for her party’s nomination for Secretary of State.

During the general election she sparred with Dancer, a former TV news anchorman, over campaign reform and limits on campaign contributions.

Brown had been endorsed by the Victory Fund, a national LGBT organization that helps gay candidates get elected.

“The early and significant support I received from the Victory Fund provided the foundation I needed to run a strong winning primary campaign and positioned me for a successful election,” she said.

In other state races across the country, San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano (D) was elected to the California Assembly. Ammiano had served on the Board of Supervisors for 14 years.  He had little difficulty defeating Republican Harmeet Dhillon for the seat in Sacramento.

Veteran lawmaker Mike Lawlor (D) won a twelfth term to the Connecticut House of Representatives.  Prior to his election to the legislature in 1986, Lawlor served as a state prosecutor.

Matt Titone (D) won a second term to the NY State Assembly.

Two open lesbians, Jackie Biskupski and Christine Johnson, were re-elected to the Utah House of Representatives.

After being term-limited out of the Nevada Assembly, David Parks has won a seat in the state’s legislature.

Jim Splaine won another term in the New Hampshire House. He said he plans to introduce a marriage equality bill in the legislature in the new session.

All were endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. In all, the Victory Fund had endorsed 88 candidates for federal, state and local government across the country.

Since 1991, when the Fund began, the number of openly LGBT elected officials in the U.S. has grown from less than 50 to more than 420.