Nancy Pelosi's LGBTQ Legacy: A Complete Look
As the former Speaker of the House gets set to retire, here’s her track record on LGBTQ issues.
On November 6, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced that she would be retiring after 38 years serving as the representative for the district that encompasses San Francisco.
Since she was first elected in 1987, Pelosi has been one of the most consistent voices in support of LGBTQ rights, speaking out about the AIDS crisis and marching for gay rights during a period of heightened stigma and supporting gay marriage long before the majority of her party. In recent years, as increasing numbers of Democrats have stepped back or flipped their stances on trans rights, Pelosi has remained firm, pushing for the party to hold the line against anti-LGBTQ policies and pledging to fight gender-affirming care bans.
As Pelosi gets set to retire in January 2027, we took a look back through her LGBTQ advocacy.
Congressperson (1987 - 2002)
June 2, 1987
Pelosi is elected to Congress in a special election. In her primary, she defeats Harry Britt, a city supervisor for San Francisco and a gay activist.
June 9, 1987
Pelosi mentions the AIDS crisis in her first speech on the House floor. “We’re very proud of the Fifth Congressional District and its leadership for peace, for environmental protection, for equal rights, for rights of individual freedom. And now we must take the leadership of course in the crisis of AIDS, and I look forward to working with you on that,” she says.
Oct. 11, 1987
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Pelosi helps secure permits to display the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. She sews her own patch for Susan “Susie” Piracci Roggio, the flower girl in her wedding who died of AIDS at age 30.
That same day, Pelosi marches in the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The march calls for legal recognition of same-sex relationships, for more HIV/AIDS funding from the federal government and for the repeal of laws that make sodomy illegal.
March 1, 1989
Pelosi cosponsors the Housing and Community Development Act of 1990, which created the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. HOPWA gives grant funding to communities, states and nonprofits for projects that benefit low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. Pelosi has supported subsequent funding of HOPWA in the 35 years since its passage.
March 6, 1990
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Pelosi testifies for HIV/AIDS funding with actor and philanthropist Elizabeth Taylor in front of the Committee on the Budget’s Task Force on Human Resources. “We have striven for what is best for the patient and what is best for the budget and frequently they are the same,” she tells the committee.
March 11, 1993
Pelosi votes against the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993, which codified a travel ban for immigrants and foreign nationals living with HIV/AIDS.
Sept. 29, 1993
Pelosi votes in favor of the 1994 Defense Authorization Act, which codified the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) military policy created under the Clinton Administration that forced gay members of the military to remain in the closet while serving. The law reads:
“The prohibition against homosexual conduct is a longstanding element of military law that continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service. … The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”
Pelosi votes for the bill despite opposing DADT and later speaks in favor of its repeal on the House floor, calling on Clinton “to act definitively to lift the ban that keeps patriotic Americans from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces because of their sexual orientation.” She goes on to say that “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ doesn’t contribute to our national security and it contravenes our American values.”
July 12, 1996
Pelosi votes against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which established marriage “as only a legal union between one man and one woman.” She votes in the minority of Democrats, with 118 voting in favor and 65 voting against.
Nov. 12, 1996
Legislation spearheaded by Pelosi to establish the AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco as a national landmark is signed into law.
Democratic Party House Leader (2002-2007)
May 27, 2003
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is created after President George W. Bush signs the United States Leadership Against Global HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 into law. It passes with bipartisan support under Pelosi’s party leadership. To this day, PEPFAR provides HIV/AIDS funding to over 50 countries.
Sept. 30, 2004
Pelosi votes against a proposed constitutional amendment that would have restricted marriage to be between one man and one woman. She would vote against the same amendment again in 2006.
Speaker of the House (2007-2011)
Sept. 28, 2007
Pelosi releases a statement endorsing a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which had been controversially amended to include discrimination protections for sexual orientation but not gender identity. “While I personally favor legislation that would include gender identity, the new ENDA legislation … has the best prospects for success on the House floor. I will continue to push for legislation, including language on gender identity, to expand and make our laws more reflective of the diverse society in which we live.”
Pelosi’s support for the amended version attracts criticism, with nearly 300 LGBTQ rights organizations signing a letter to her opposing the move. No version of the bill makes it to the Senate floor.
May 15, 2008
Pelosi releases a statement supporting the California Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the state’s gay marriage ban. In reference to Proposition 8, she writes that she opposes “any ballot measure that would write discrimination into the State Constitution.”
Oct. 28, 2009
President Obama signs the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was developed in response to the murders of two gay men, into law. Pelosi strongly supports the bill, and Obama calls her “a champion of this legislation.”
Oct. 30, 2009
Under Pelosi’s leadership as speaker of the House, HIV is removed from the list of communicable diseases that prevent foreign nationals from entering the U.S.
“With the end of the HIV/AIDS travel ban, the United States will close the door on an era of intolerance. This discriminatory policy has done nothing to protect public health, and it is inconsistent with the values that have made our nation great,” Pelosi writes in a press release.
March 21, 2010
Under Pelosi’s speakership, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passes the House by a slim margin. The ACA helps fill significant gaps in health care coverage for LGBTQ Americans.
Dec. 22, 2010
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“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is formally repealed with Pelosi serving as a key figure in pushing for the repeal. “Repealing the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy will honor the service and sacrifice of all who dedicated their lives to protecting the American people. … I urge my colleagues to end discrimination wherever it exists in our country,” Pelosi says on the House floor right before the policy was repealed.
Democratic Party House Leader (2011-2019)
June 24, 2014
Pelosi receives a Congressional Global Champion Award from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) for her work. “Leader Pelosi has been a friend and partner of the … Foundation from its earliest days,” writes Chip Lyons, president and CEO of EGPAF. “Here in the capital of the United States, the Ryan White Care Act was passed in 1991, with the solid support of Leader Pelosi. It was a watershed moment in the fight against AIDS.”
Oct. 17, 2014
Pelosi endorses openly transgender military service members. A spokesperson for her office says, “Leader Pelosi believes there is no place for discrimination in the U.S. Armed Forces, including on the basis of gender identity.”
June 26, 2015
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rules in favor of Obergefell v. Hodges, legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Pelosi’s office issues a press release in support of the ruling:
“This decision is about creating a future where loving, committed families are able to live with dignity. This is about freedom. This is about love. … This decision is a declaration of our deepest held values and our hope for a better America. … We must continue the fight for the full protections that are long overdue for LGBT Americans.”
July 13, 2017
Pelosi and her party help defeat an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would have banned coverage of gender affirming care for transgender troops.
July 26, 2017
In response to Trump’s first attempted ban on transgender people serving in the military, Pelosi speaks at a press conference:
“It is a cruel and arbitrary decision designed to humiliate transgender Americans who have stepped forward to serve and defend our country. The President’s allegations of tremendous – tremendous - medical cost are bold-faced lies: a ludicrous pretense for his hateful campaign against these brave men and women in uniform and those who have become veterans.”
Sept. 9, 2017
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Pelosi makes a surprise appearance at a GLAAD Gala in San Francisco honoring Don Lemon and Sam Altman, where she tells attendees that Trump’s trans military ban is “a move that hurts and humiliates the thousands of Americans who serve in our military with strength and courage.”
Speaker of the House (2019-2023)
March 28, 2019
In a vote of 238-185, the House passes a resolution condemning the ban on transgender military service members. The resolution does not reverse the ban but instead urges the Defense Department to not implement it. On the House floor, Pelosi calls the ban “bigoted.”
May 17, 2019
Pelosi passes the Equality Act in the House of Representatives. The bill “prohibit[s] discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in … public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell never brings the bill to a vote in the Senate and it dies in committee.
July 24, 2019
The House unanimously passes the Promoting Respect for Individuals’ Dignity and Equality (PRIDE) Act. This legislation would allow for same-sex couples who married before DOMA was struck down in 2013 to tap into an estimated $67 million in back tax refunds. In a press release, Pelosi says:
“Discrimination has no place in our society or in our laws. In passing the PRIDE Act, Democrats are honoring our diversity and providing long-overdue justice to countless same-sex couples … who have been denied critical tax refunds because of who they are and who they love.”
The bill is never brought to a vote by McConnell, and dies in committee.
June 15, 2020
SCOTUS rules in Bostock v. Clayton County, finding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. Using this decision as leverage, Pelosi issues a press release, urging the Senate to pass the Equality Act to further enshrine LGBTQ discrimination protections into law:
“To finally and fully end LGBTQ discrimination, not just in the workplace, but in every place, last year, House Democrats passed the landmark Equality Act. Now, Leader McConnell must end his partisan obstruction and allow the Senate to vote on this critical legislation.”
Feb. 25, 2021
The House once again passes the Equality Act, which again stalls in committee and dies in the Senate.
Feb. 9, 2022
The House passes the Global Respect Act, which would impose sanctions on foreign persons responsible for or complicit in violating the human rights of individuals due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. In a press release, Pelosi calls the legislation “a bold step forward in protecting the fundamental rights and dignities of the global LGBTQ community.” The bill is referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations in the Senate and never passes.
June 10, 2022
Pelosi makes an appearance on “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season 7 encouraging viewers to vote. “My honor to be here, to say to all of you how proud we are of you,” she says on the main stage. “Thank you for the joy and beauty you bring to the world. Your freedom of expression of yourselves in drag is what America is all about.”
The call to action comes four years after she first appeared on the groundbreaking TV series.
July 18, 2022
The House passes the Respect for Marriage Act, which repeals DOMA and requires the federal government, all states and territories to recognize the legal validity of same-sex and interracial civil marriages in the United States. The bill eventually passes the Senate and President Biden signs it into law Dec. 13.
Congressperson (2023-Present)
June 30, 2023
After stepping down from Democratic Party leadership, Pelosi criticizes SCOTUS’ decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, which states that public businesses and organizations may discriminate against LGBTQ people if their work is deemed “expressive activity” and conflicts with the owner’s/creator’s religious beliefs concerning marriage.
June 14, 2024
Speaking at the new “Collecting Memories” exhibit at the Library of Congress, Pelosi reflects on those who have been lost in the fight against AIDS while looking upon the AIDS Memorial Quilt, a lasting tribute to those who’ve died of the virus. Speaking of friends lost to the crisis, Pelosi laments: “[Seeing] friends holding them in our arms. Formerly robust people. Just so frail. So frail. Again and again, again and again.”
Feb. 24, 2025
In an interview with The Advocate, Pelosi speaks about the concerns she has for the LGBTQ community under the Trump administration.
“I have a grandniece who is trans, and she’s scared to death. It’s just the saddest thing. … Over my career, I’ve witnessed the progress the LGBTQ+ community has made in terms of social acceptance, so it’s just alarming and sad that trans rights remain a focal point of the administration’s attack. The trans issue is what they have glommed onto. They want to strip trans individuals and their families of essential services. … Democrats must stand unequivocally with the trans community. The message has to be: We are with you. You are not alone.”
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I didn't know half of this, thank you!