Outside of the presidential race, this election season could see historic wins for the gay community. Eight openly LGBT candidates — a record number — are running for seats in Congress. This includes Wisconsin's Tammy Baldwin, who could become the first openly gay member of the Senate. Those running for the House of Representatives include bisexual Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, California's Mark Takano, and Richard Tisei of Massachusetts — the first openly gay Republican to vie for a House seat.
The best part is that in each of these races, the focus seems to be more about the issues than the candidates' sexual orientations.
Currently, there are four openly gay members of Congress, two of whom — including the long-serving gay advocate Barney Frank — are stepping down.
This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2012.