Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Senator Tammy Baldwin is the junior Senator from Wisconsin. Elected in 2012, Baldwin serves as the country's first openly-gay Senator and was the first woman to represent Wisconsin in the position. She currently chairs the HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety.
In 1998, Baldwin was elected to serve as the U.S. Representative of Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District. While in the House, Baldwin championed many progressive issues ranging from single-payer healthcare to the "Early Treatment for HIV Act" to equal pay for women. She was the first openly-gay person to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first women to be elected to that office in Wisconsin.
Elected in 1992 to the Wisconsin Assembly as one of the only openly-gay politicians in the country, Baldwin went on to serve three terms as a tireless advocate for LGBT equality, gender equity, universal healthcare, and criminal justice reform.
Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Baldwin graduated valedictorian of her high school and continued on to receive degrees from Smith College and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
What motivated you to enter public service? How did you get your start in public service and what does public service means to you?
In middle school, I got involved in student government and it was an opportunity to engage in local community service projects. But we also worked on a project to raise money for earthquake relief in Nicaragua. It was at that young age that I realized that could make a difference and give back to others.
I came out when I was in college. It was a time in my life when I was discovering not only who I was but what I wanted to do with my life and what kind of career I wanted to create.
Shortly after I graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts, I moved back home to Madison, Wisconsin. I had no job. I was in my first efficiency apartment. And I was watching the 1984 Democratic National Convention on my tiny little television set. And that’s when Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro walked across that giant stage and took the podium to accept the nomination as the Democratic Nominee for Vice President. I was this young woman with my whole life ahead of me and as I watched that moment I thought to myself, “I can aspire to anything! I can do anything!” For me, that was the inspiring moment for me to pursue public service.
I went on to attending law school at the University of Wisconsin and in 1986, a seat opened up on the Madison City Council. I was encouraged to run and I did - as an out lesbian. I was fortunate in that others had come before me so I was motivated by their leadership. For me, public service has always been about making a difference in people’s lives and my career in public service has given me an opportunity to do just that. It is also an opportunity to have the honor of paving the way for others to pursue public service.
What LGBT leaders have inspired you?
I recently had the opportunity to attend the unveiling of the Harvey Milk stamp at the White House. Harvey liked to quote the Declaration of Independence – “All men are created equal” – and declare that, no matter how hard they tried, the forces of bigotry could never erase that famous promise.
What he didn’t say – what he instead proved over the course of his life – is that it’s up to the forces of progress to keep that promise, and to make it something more than words on a page. On that front, Harvey did as much as anyone.
As a United States Senator – and a lesbian – it’s incredible to look back on a time when running for county supervisor as an openly gay man seemed like a revolutionary act. And Harvey knew that. He welcomed the attention. He weathered the insults. He shrugged off the death threats. And it wasn’t to satisfy his own ambition, but rather to answer the call he felt to move the cause of equality forward. He ran for office so that others wouldn’t have to run from who they were. He spoke out so that others wouldn’t feel compelled to live in silence.
Our country has made great progress since I first entered public service and was elected to political office in 1986.
In 1998, I was the first woman from Wisconsin elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the nation’s first openly gay challenger sent to Congress. In 2012, I was Wisconsin’s first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and the first openly gay member elected to the Senate. So we’re moving toward being a country where a young woman – a young lesbian – doesn’t have to close her eyes and imagine someone like herself serving in elected office, because she can open her eyes and she can see real diversity in Congress.
I am well aware that, in many ways, I’m literally here because of the progress Harvey Milk helped to make in the years before I pursued a career in public service.
What are some of the big issues circulating in the Senate right now that affect LGBT students? How can LGBT students or allies become involved in the process?
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, of which I am a member, continues to discuss reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the federal law that governs federal support of colleges and universities. A big piece of that law is federal financial aid programs, and the Senate has been actively discussing college affordability this year – an issue that impacts all students, including members of the LGBT community. At the end of the summer, HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin released a draft outlining his vision for HEA reauthorization. I was proud to endorse this draft, which includes important reforms to help keep college affordable in a time of rising tuition and crushing debt burdens.
Chairman Harkin’s draft also incorporates legislation to specifically address harassment of LGBT students pursuing a higher education – the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act – of which I am proud to be a lead sponsor along with Senator Patty Murray. As you may know, Tyler was a freshman at Rutgers University who tragically took his own life in 2010 after his roommate surreptitiously streamed video of him in his dorm room with another man. The Act requires institutions of higher education to adopt LGBT-inclusive anti-harassment policies and provides grants to schools for anti-harassment programs and training.
While the HEA reauthorization will likely stretch on into the next Congress, LGBT students and their allies can get engaged now. First of all, vote! The strongest way to impact what happens in Washington is to participate in the electoral process. Second, contact your Senators and Member of Congress to express the importance of LGBT issues to you and your friends and classmates. Third, stay engaged on these issues through advocacy organizations, social media and the news, and be ready to speak up and speak out.
Any last words of advice or thoughts you'd like to share?
In his most famous speech, Harvey Milk talked about young gay Americans in small towns like Altoona, Pennsylvania, and Richmond, Minnesota. And he spoke about wanting to give them hope – for a better world, for a better tomorrow, for a nation in which the doors are open to everyone. But he also called on them to act: to come out, to speak out, to participate in the life of this country as if it were their birthright to do so – which, of course, it was. And, as the first openly gay American to be elected to the U.S. Senate, I get plenty of letters from places like Altoona and Richmond, letters that remind me of the ripple effect that one person’s journey can create and make clear just how much progress we’ve made in my lifetime.
Our strength as a movement comes from LGBT people coming out – being open and honest about who we are, and demonstrating to our fellow citizens that we are everywhere, that we are their family, friends and neighbors. The more people have come out, the more progress we have seen. We need to continue making the country a place where LGBT people can feel comfortable being themselves and that will in turn create more progress.
I believe that when you aren’t in the room, the conversation is about you. But when you are in the room, the conversation is with you. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to be in the room as we’ve taken so many steps forward in the LGBT movement. While the firsts we celebrate represent history, it’s the “nexts” that will represent real progress. Progress isn’t just when the first openly gay American is elected to the Senate. It’s when the next openly gay Senator joins me…and the next…and the next…until no young man or woman sees his or her sexual orientation as a roadblock to serving the country he or she loves.