Nancy Wechsler

Nancy Wechsler
Ann Arbor City Council, Second Ward
In office 1972–1974
Preceded by	Robert E. Weaver (R)
Succeeded by	Kathy Kozachenko (HR)
Personal details
Political party	Human Rights Party
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Profession	Activist, politician, writer

Nancy Wechsler is an activist, writer, and former member of the Ann Arbor City Council, where she came out as a lesbian while serving her term.^[1][2] Elected to the City Council alongside fellow Human Rights Party candidate Jerry DeGrieck, both Wechsler and DeGrieck came out while serving, and are typically cited as the first openly LGBT elected officials in the United States.^[3]

Ann Arbor City Council

Wechsler and Jerry DeGrieck were elected to the Ann Arbor City Council as members of the Human Rights Party on April 3, 1972. Political observers did not believe the third party had much chance of winning any seats, but the party's liberal platform appealed to young voters and beat university professors running as Democrats in the 1st and 2nd wards.^[4] At the time of the election, Wechsler was 22, a recent University of Michigan graduate and an employee of a local college bookstore. In 1973, while serving on the council, Wechsler came out as a lesbian and DeGrieck as a gay man in response to an anti-LGBT incident at a local restaurant.^[5][6] In 1974, rather than seek re-election, Wechsler moved to Boston, Massachusetts where she went on to become a writer for the Gay Community News.^[7] Out lesbian Kathy Kozachenko was elected to fill Wechsler's seat on the council, becoming the first openly LGBT politician to win an election in the United States.^[1][2]

References

1. Nichols, Larry (October 18, 2007). "Noble Woman". Metro Weekly. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
2. Clendinen, Dudley & Nagourney, Adam (2013). Out For Good: The Struggle to Build a Gay Rights Movement in Ame. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781476740713.
3. Stein, Marc (2012). Rethinking the Gay and Lesbian Movement. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 9780415874106.
4. "Ann Arbor Human Rights Party, 1972". September 18, 2007. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
5. Marcus, Eric (2009). Out in All Directions: A Treasury of Gay and Lesbian America. Hachette Digital, Inc. ISBN 9780446567213.
6. DeGrieck, Jerry (January 21, 2009). "Think Harvey Milk Was the First Openly-Gay Politician? Think Again" (Interview). Retrieved December 8, 2013.
7. Eshenroder, Owen (February 5, 1985). "HRP's light burned briefly but brightly in city politics". Ann Arbor News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.