BIZ Online NGLCC

Substantial Democratic victories in the Nov. 4 election likely will boost the number of members of the U.S. House participating in the LGBT Equality Caucus when the Congress begins its new session in January 2009.

Of the 52 members of the LGBT Equality Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., all but one was reelected. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., was the only member to be defeated.

"We look forward to continuing our work with the LGBT Caucus," says Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. "It is through their commitment to diversity and fairness that we are able to make strides for LGBT business owners and entrepreneurs."

Not only were an unprecedented number of LGBT officials elected to a host of public offices in the states, the Caucus garnered its third openly gay member with the election of Democrat Jared Polis of Colorado. Currently Frank and Baldwin are the only openly gay members of Congress.

The victories of three openly gay and lesbian candidates to the House, from three very different districts, may be a sign that the public is more accepting of openly gay and lesbian officials at both the state and federal level, some say.

In 2009 the LGBT Caucus, which was created earlier this year, will likely focus much of its attention on approval of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), the hate crimes bill and measures to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy at the Pentagon.

The members of the LGBT Equality Caucus now include:

1. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.)
2. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
3. Xavier Becerra (D-Cal.)
4. Howard Berman (D-Cal.)
5. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)
6. Robert Brady (D-Penn.)
7. Lois Capps (D-Cal.)
8. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.)
9. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.)
10. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.)
11. Susan Davis (D-Cal.)
12. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.)
13. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
14. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)
15. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.)
16. Anna Eshoo (D-Cal.)
17. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)
18. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
19. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)
20. Phil Hare (D-Ill.)
21. Rush Holt (D-N.J.)
22. Mike Honda (D-Cal.)
23. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas)
24. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.)
25. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)
26. Barbara Lee (D-Cal.)
27. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas)
28. Zoe Lofgren (D-Cal.)
29. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)
30. Doris Matsui (D-Cal.)
31. James McGovern (D-Mass.)
32. James Moran (D-Va.)
33. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
34. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)
35. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.)
36. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)
37. Steven Rothman (D-N.J.)
38. Linda Sánchez (D-Cal.)
39. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)
40. Debbie Schultz (D-Fla.)
41. José Serrano (D-N.Y.)
42. Hilda Solis (D-Cal.)
43. Pete Stark (D-Cal.)
44. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio)
45. Ellen Tauscher (D-Cal.)
46. Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.)
47. Henry Waxman (D-Cal.)
48. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)
49. Peter Welch (D-Vt.)
50. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.)
51. Lynn Woolsey (D-Cal.)