Another First: A Black, Lesbian, Mayor

Here is a story of how, slowly but surely, at least in local jurisdictions, labels are meaning less and who a person is and what they stand for is meaning more. I find it particularly interesting this happened in the home of one of the world's great centers of higher learning, Harvard University and not some poor, depressed town.

From The Edge (Boston, MA)

As the presidential primaries continue to unfold, nightly newscasts are quick to remind viewers that a major historical precedent may be only months away: There’s never been a stronger chance that voters will elect either the first African-American president or the first female president.

But when it comes to equal opportunity politicking, Mayor E. Denise Simmons can claim one better.

When City Council elections gave Simmons the mayorship of Cambridge, Mass. on January 14, she became America’s first openly gay, female African-American mayor.

"This is what’s great about the City of Cambridge," says Mayor Simmons of the new chapter she has authored in the history books. She sits smiling in her City Hall office, a dignified space that emanates the same characteristic air as the New England City she calls her own: warmth and welcoming combined with aristocratic academia.

Her features are wide and open, her manners gracious and kind, and her eyes crackle with a certain sense of spirit; maybe it’s the focus of a maverick woman who has blazed her own trail, or the energetic ambition of a politician who has not only goals, but the will and willingness to realize them.

"It’s wonderful to be in a high-profile position, and to be in it as you are," says Simmons, emphasizing the last three words to underscore her comfort as an openly gay mayor.