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

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 AIDSat 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

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.

Subscribe for accountability journalism.

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

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is formally repealed with Pelosi serving as a key figurein 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.”

Subscribe for LGBTQ journalism.

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.”