Statue in Michigan to honor first openly gay person elected to public office in the US
Five years after the Stonewall riots and three years before gay rights pioneer, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Kathy Kozachenko made history in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Kathy Kozachenko is the first openly gay person elected to public office in the United States. Nearly 50 years later, Ann Arbor City government is honoring the former City Council member by erecting a statue in her honor.
The former University of Michigan student was elected to local office in 1974, campaigning under the now defunct Human Rights Party. She served for two years on Ann Arbor’s council before opting not to run for a second term and retreating from the public eye.
Ann Arbor City Council Member Travis Radina called Kozachenko's election a historic accomplishment. "Someone had to be the first and she stepped forward and did that," said Radina.
While Kozachenko has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since leaving office, she acknowledged her accomplishment in her victory speech from 1974. The speech was discovered by Bloomberg in 2015.
“This is the first time in the history of the U.S. that someone has run openly as a gay person and been elected to public office,” Kozachenko said, “Gay liberation was not a major issue in the campaign — both candidates in this ward said they supported gay rights, but 10 years ago, or even three years ago, lesbianism would have meant automatic defeat."
She continued. "Many people’s attitudes about gayness are still far from healthy, but my campaign forced some people at least to re-examine their prejudices and stereotypes.”
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Prior to Kozachenko's election, Jerry DeGrieck and Nancy Wechsler ‒ two other students and members of the Human Rights Party ‒ won elections to city council in 1972. They made history by becoming the first gay and lesbian elected officials to come out while serving in public office in the U.S., Radina noted.
"That support network, that community around Kathy is really what empowered her and helped her do this as well," Radina said. "It's important for her personally, when I've talked to her, for them to be part of that story."
In 1972, the city of Ann Arbor celebrated its first officially designated "Gay Pride Week," one of the first in the US, according to the University of Michigan's LGBT Heritage Exhibit. The council also adopted an ordinance protecting individuals from discrimination based on sexual preference ‒ one of the first cities in Michigan to do so.
Behind the making of the monument
For months, Ann Arbor councilmembers have been discussing the idea of memorializing Kozachenko's accomplishment with a state historical marker.
"I would travel to other cities and see statues or landmarks or plaques dedicated to these historic figures. And there was really nothing like that celebrating Kathy here in Ann Arbor," Radina said.
Statues for Equality is partnering with the city of Ann Arbor to design and construct the monument. The organization's founders acknowledged that only a small percentage of historical statues throughout the country are of women. Their work focuses on creating statues honoring female historical figures.
Michigan Live reported that the city of Ann Arbor plans to raise $100,000 to have Statues for Equality to erect the monument.
The statue will placed at City Hall grounds near the buildings entrance, according to Radina. Its exact unveiling date is not yet known and could take up to a year to build. Radina said the City Council will host an unveiling ceremony as part of the City's bicentennial celebration in 2024.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Statue honors Kathy Kozachenko, US first openly gay elected official
