Instead of focusing only on the deleterious effects that the proposition could have for gay and lesbian couples, opponents pointed out that others who would suffer from its provisions were elderly heterosexual couples in Arizona--a haven for retirees--who stood to lose both Social Security and pension benefits if they remarried. They would also lose important rights regarding decisions about medical care for their domestic partners.

Sponsor Message.

The proposition was defeated. However, the victory was only temporary. A scant two years later, a simplified version of the amendment that targeted only same-sex marriage was easily approved by voters.

After serving three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives, Sinema was elected to the state Senate in 2010. She left her seat in 2012 to run for the United States House of Representatives.

The campaign was hard fought. The National Republican Congressional Committee poured some $900,000 into an attempt to defeat Sinema with various ads, including one in which a satellite--apparently controlled by earthlings, including, presumably, Arizonans--attempted to establish contact with Sinema until a voice lamented "We're losing touch with you, Planet Kyrsten" and concluded "She's far out."

One attack ad dredged up a loopy interview that Sinema gave in 2006 to a now-defunct fashion magazine. In the interview, she seemed to diss stay-at-home mothers, said that she owns more than 100 pairs of shoes, and described herself as "a Prada socialist."

During the campaign, she brushed off those comments as failed attempts at humor and refused to discuss her work as a criminal defense attorney.

In the end Sinema prevailed, although the race was so close and the counting of all ballots so slow that it was over a week after the election before she could claim victory.

In addition to becoming the first openly bisexual member of the United States Congress, Sinema also stands out as one with no declared religious affiliation. (Representative Pete Stark of California was open about his views as a non-believer in religion, but he has since retired.)

When the question of religion came up, Sinema's spokesperson Justin Unga stated to Mark Oppenheimer of the New York Times that "Kyrsten believes that the terms 'nontheist,' 'atheist' or 'nonbeliever' are not befitting of her life's work or personal character. . . . Though [she] was raised in a religious household, she draws her policy-making decisions from her experience as a social worker who worked with diverse communities and as a lawmaker who represented hundreds of thousands."

He went on to add that Sinema "is a student of all cultures in her community" and "believes that a secular approach is the best way to achieve . . . good government."

Sinema had earlier taken on the issue of the separation of church and state, and, in the process, demonstrated her mastery of bipartisanship.

In 2005, when a debate over displays of the Ten Commandments on government property was moving through the courts, mainly because of a granite monument that had been installed in Alabama, Sinema hosted a radio show featuring stand-up comedian Chris Bliss, who asked her to sponsor a bill "to put up displays of the Bill of Rights next to [the Ten Commandments] and let people comparison shop."

Recognizing that the support of a Republican legislator would be necessary to pass just about any bill in a red state like Arizona, Sinema called on state Senator Karen S. Johnson--an extremely conservative politician best known for proposing a bill to permit people to carry concealed weapons on the campuses of public colleges and universities--to co-sponsor a bill calling for a monument to the Bill of Rights to be paid for through private donations. In an anomaly for the legislature of Arizona, the bill passed unanimously in both houses.

Although Sinema is open about her identification as a bisexual and her lack of religious belief, she frequently expresses exasperation with the media fixation on those identities. For example, she told Roig-Franzia, that poverty more than religion or sexuality is what drives her. "I don't think religion or my orientation shaped my world view. They're parts of who I am, but they're not the driving force."

Notwithstanding the fact that she eagerly sought and welcomed the endorsement and financial support of gay rights groups, she was surprised and disappointed that following her election news reports around the world distilled her to a single distinguishing characteristic based on her sexual orientation.

Of her identity as a bisexual, Sinema, who is single and does not discuss her private life, has said, "It just doesn't matter if that other person is a man or a woman." She tends not to adhere to common notions about the categories of sexual orienation. Instead she blends them. She told Roig-Franzia, "Bisexuals are gay people--we're all gay," she said, and added, "Some people don't like that."

Sinema comes to Congress with priorities that include glbtq rights, environmental protection, healthcare reform, and fair immigration laws.

Although until recently rejected by most sexologists as a distinct sexual identity, bisexuality is gradually becoming recognized and studied as such.

The socially and politically conservative Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long been antagonistic to the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.

In the United States, glbtq candidates have achieved some significant successes at the ballot box in the last three decades, running for and winning local, state, and national elections.

Not limited to activity in the traditionally conceived political sphere, identity politics refers to activism, politics, theorizing, and other similar activities based on the shared experiences of members of a specific social group, often relying on shared experiences of oppression.

Lesbian and gay couples have been fighting for the freedom to marry since the dawn of the modern glbtq struggle for equality; despite some success abroad, progress toward same-sex marriage in the United States has been slow.

The first out lesbian elected to the United States Congress, Democratic legislator Tammy Baldwin has been a strong supporter of glbtq rights, but she is far from a one-issue politician.

U. S. Representative David Cicilline, who made history as the first openly gay mayor of a state capital, has a long record of public service.

The American glbtq movement for equality has largely allied itself with the Democratic Party.

Openly gay U. S. congressman Barney Frank has been a leader not only in the cause of gay and lesbian rights but also on issues including fair housing, consumer rights, banking, and immigration.

Long a champion of glbtq and progressive causes, Sean Patrick Maloney was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2012 to become the first openly gay U.S. Representative from New York state.

A former seven-term member of the Wisconsin Assembly, Mark Pocan easily won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012.

Businessman and philanthropist Jared Polis became one of only three openly gay members in Congress, and the first openly gay man elected to Congress as a freshman, when he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008.

The Republican Party of the United States has not been supportive of glbtq issues, despite the efforts of the Log Cabin Republicans.

In 2012, Mark Takano, a Japanese American from Riverside, California, became the first openly gay person of color to be elected to the United States House of Representatives.