Kathy Kozachenko

Kathy Kozachenko (born 1953) is an American politician who was the first openly LGBT candidate to successfully run for political office in the United States.^[1] Kozachenko ran on the ticket of the Human Rights Party (HRP), the local, left-wing third party, which had already succeeded in winning two Ann Arbor, Michigan, council seats in 1972.^[2]

Kathy Kozachenko
Ann Arbor City Council, Second Ward (Michigan)
In office 1974–1976
Preceded by	Nancy Wechsler (HR)
Succeeded by	Earl W. Greene (D)
Personal details
Born	Alexandra Virginia
Political party	Human Rights Party
Alma mater	University of Michigan

Biography

Born in Alexandria, Virginia,^[1] Kozachenko moved around during her youth. From Toledo, Ohio, she would eventually make it to Plymouth, Michigan. She joined the Human Rights Party (HRP) in the early 1970s. Kozachenko is of Ukrainian descent.

Kozachenko was an out student at the University of Michigan,^[3] where she received support for her progressive agenda, which included a fine of no more than five dollars for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Another part of her platform included "a ceiling on the amount of profit a landlord could make from rents on a building".^[3]

Running solely against a liberal Democrat, the 21-year-old Kozachenko was elected to the Ann Arbor City Council on April 2, 1974. She won the seat "representing the city's second ward by fifty-two votes".^[4][1][5][6]

Kozachenko's HRP predecessors on the city council, Nancy Wechsler and Jerry DeGrieck, had both come out during their first and only terms on the city council, thus becoming the first openly LGBT public-office holders in the United States; however, neither Wechsler nor DeGrieck ran for office as an openly lesbian/gay individual.^[2]

The city of Ann Arbor is planning to erect a statue in front of city hall to honor the former city council member. It is estimated to be dedicated in 2024, on the 50th anniversary of her election.^[7][8]

References

1. Friess, Steve (December 11, 2015). "The First Openly Gay Person to Win an Election in America Was Not Harvey Milk". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
2. Compton, Julie (April 2, 2020). "Meet the lesbian who made political history years before Harvey Milk". NBC News. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
3. Faderman, Lillian (2015). The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 393–394. ISBN 978-1451694116.
4. Campbell, Jane; Carilli, Theresa, eds. (2013). "11. First But (Nearly) Forgotten: Why You Know Milk But Not Kozachenko, by Bruce E. Drushel". Queer Media Images: LGBT Perspectives. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Lexington Books. p. 123. ISBN 978-0739180280.
5. "Kathy Kozachenko: LGBTQ Rights in Michigan". Michiganology. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
6. "It Happened at Michigan — Breaking barriers and making gay rights history | The University Record". record.umich.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
7. "Michigan Trailblazer Kathy Kozachenko, First Out Elected Official in U.S., to Be Honored with Statue in Ann Arbor". Pride Source. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
8. "Kathy Kozachenko, First Out Elected Official in U.S., to be Honored in Michigan". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2024-01-21.