Comments (Famous Bearer Only)
The now disgraced comedian Kathy Griffith who infamously used a pineapple as Trump's head and got canned because of it.
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Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner is a poet and climate change activist from the Marshall Islands.
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Kathryn "Kathy" Valentine is an American musician who is the bassist for the pop punk band the Go-Go's. She has maintained a career in music through songwriting, recording, performing and touring as well as additional academic and creative pursuits. Valentine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021 as a member of The Go-Go's.
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In "And the Band Played On," Randy Shilts’ groundbreaking book about the early days of the AIDS crisis, Harvey Milk is listed as the first openly gay elected official in the US. Shilts was wrong. Others cite Elaine Noble, the openly lesbian state representative from Massachusetts, who took office in 1974. They are also wrong.
The first openly LGBTQIA+ elected official in the United States was a 21-year-old college student named Kathy Kozachenko, elected in April 1974 to the City Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Today, Kozachenko is an unassuming 69-year-old Michigander. When remembered, she is usually a historical footnote.
Kathy Kozachenko was born in Alexander, Virginia in 1964, and lived in several places before reaching Michigan. In the early 1970s, Kozachenko joined the Human Rights Party, a local leftist political party.
Kozachenko was out as a student at the University of Michigan when she too sought election to the Ann Arbor City Council, seeking to take Nancy Weschsler's seat. Her platform included provisions relating to rent control and marijuana law liberalization. She was elected on 2 April 1974, winning 2,236 votes to her competitor’s 2,284.
Kozachenko's election made her the first openly LGBTQIA+ candidate to run successfully for office.
Kozachenko’s election was greeted with fairly limited fanfare. When asked about how she is often forgotten in histories in 2020, she suggested it had to do with the fact that her sexuality had played a limited role in her political campaign. She stated, “I was and am a social justice advocate, of which LGBTQ rights comes in,” in comparison with Harvey Milk for example, who “was a very strong and vibrant gay activist.”
Kozachenko has remained fiercely private since her history-making election. It wasn’t until a Bloomberg News interview in 2015 that any major media had profiled her.
Kozachenko’s handwritten notes from her victory speech were dug up by Bloomberg in 2015: This is the first time in the history of the U.S. that someone has run openly as a gay person and been elected to public office. [,,,] Gay liberation was not a major issue in the campaign—both candidates in this ward said they supported gay rights but 10 years ago, or even three years ago, lesbianism would have meant automatic defeat. This year we talked about rent control. We talked about the city’s budget. We talked about police priorities, and we had a record of action to run on. Many people’s attitudes about gayness are still far from healthy, but my campaign forced some people at least to re-examine their prejudices and stereotypes.”
Kozachenko was followed in fairly rapid succession by other candidates who ran as openly LGBTQIA+ contenders. Elaine Noble (D-MA) became the first openly gay member of a state legislature; she was elected in 1974 and took office in January 1975. State Sen. Allan Spear (D-MN), who had been elected in 1972, came out in December 1974. Elsewhere, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, serving eleven months of 1978 before his assassination. Jim Yeadon, another man in his mid-20s, was elected to the Madison Wisconsin Common Council, becoming the first openly gay man elected to office.
As of this writing, Kozachenko is 69 and lives in Michigan.
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The first openly LGBTQIA+ elected official in the United States was a 21-year-old college student named Kathy Kozachenko, elected in April 1974 to the City Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Today, Kozachenko is an unassuming 69-year-old Michigander. When remembered, she is usually a historical footnote.
Kathy Kozachenko was born in Alexander, Virginia in 1964, and lived in several places before reaching Michigan. In the early 1970s, Kozachenko joined the Human Rights Party, a local leftist political party.
Kozachenko was out as a student at the University of Michigan when she too sought election to the Ann Arbor City Council, seeking to take Nancy Weschsler's seat. Her platform included provisions relating to rent control and marijuana law liberalization. She was elected on 2 April 1974, winning 2,236 votes to her competitor’s 2,284.
Kozachenko's election made her the first openly LGBTQIA+ candidate to run successfully for office.
Kozachenko’s election was greeted with fairly limited fanfare. When asked about how she is often forgotten in histories in 2020, she suggested it had to do with the fact that her sexuality had played a limited role in her political campaign. She stated, “I was and am a social justice advocate, of which LGBTQ rights comes in,” in comparison with Harvey Milk for example, who “was a very strong and vibrant gay activist.”
Kozachenko has remained fiercely private since her history-making election. It wasn’t until a Bloomberg News interview in 2015 that any major media had profiled her.
Kozachenko’s handwritten notes from her victory speech were dug up by Bloomberg in 2015: This is the first time in the history of the U.S. that someone has run openly as a gay person and been elected to public office. [,,,] Gay liberation was not a major issue in the campaign—both candidates in this ward said they supported gay rights but 10 years ago, or even three years ago, lesbianism would have meant automatic defeat. This year we talked about rent control. We talked about the city’s budget. We talked about police priorities, and we had a record of action to run on. Many people’s attitudes about gayness are still far from healthy, but my campaign forced some people at least to re-examine their prejudices and stereotypes.”
Kozachenko was followed in fairly rapid succession by other candidates who ran as openly LGBTQIA+ contenders. Elaine Noble (D-MA) became the first openly gay member of a state legislature; she was elected in 1974 and took office in January 1975. State Sen. Allan Spear (D-MN), who had been elected in 1972, came out in December 1974. Elsewhere, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, serving eleven months of 1978 before his assassination. Jim Yeadon, another man in his mid-20s, was elected to the Madison Wisconsin Common Council, becoming the first openly gay man elected to office.
As of this writing, Kozachenko is 69 and lives in Michigan.
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Kathy Smith is a personal trainer who became well known for her workout videos during the late 1980s and 1990s.
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Kathy Najimy is an American actress of Lebanese descent. She voiced Peggy Hill on King of the Hill.
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A famous bearer of the name Kathy is actress Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates (born June 28, 1948). Among her notable film roles are "Misery" (1990), which she won an Academy Award for, as well as other Academy Award-nominated roles in "Primary Colors" (1998), for which she also received a BAFTA nomination, and "About Schmidt" (2002). She received an additional BAFTA nomination for "Fried Green Tomatoes" (1991).
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Kathy Ireland is an American supermodel, actress, author and entrepreneur.
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Kathy Griffin! That HILARIOUS comedian who everyone says goes too far in her jokes about celebrities, but she rocks anyway!
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There is an author named Kathy Reichs.
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Kathy Lee Gifford is an actress/singer. She used to be on the show "Live with Regis and Kathy Lee."
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