1. Elaine Noble was born on January 22,1944 and is an American politician and LGBT activist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for two terms starting in January 1975.
24 Facts About Elaine Noble
1. 2.
Elaine Noble was the first openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a state legislature.
3.
Elaine Noble served two terms as representative for the Fenway-Kenmore and Back Bay neighborhoods of Boston.
4.
Elaine Noble was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, on January 22,1944.
5.
Elaine Noble was involved in LGBT rights activism in Boston.
6.
Elaine Noble was a member of the local chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
7.
In 1974, Elaine Noble participated in a televised debate on the topic of same-sex marriage.
8.
Elaine Noble was a family friend of Lewis and Frank's, and worked on the campaign that got Frank elected to the State legislature.
9.
Elaine Noble's election made her the first openly LGBT candidate elected to a state-level office in the United States.
10.
Elaine Noble was sworn into office on New Year's Day 1975 by governor Michael Dukakis.
11.
Elaine Noble encouraged her campaigners to oversee school pick-ups and drop-offs for children in her district.
12.
Elaine Noble was the only white member of the Boston delegation that rode school busses with the children.
13.
Elaine Noble's support angered her constituents, both conservative as well as gay and lesbian, who expected her to focus solely on gay and lesbian issues.
14.
Elaine Noble's house was vandalized and she was threatened with a gun.
15.
Elaine Noble felt burdened and frustrated by the demands of gay men and lesbians who seemed to expect that she speak for all of them.
16.
Elaine Noble reported Shanley's comments and behavior to Boston officials on several occasions in the 1970s to no avail.
17.
In March 1977, Elaine Noble was part of the first delegation of gay men and lesbians invited to the White House under President Jimmy Carter to discuss issues important to the LGBT community.
18.
Elaine Noble finished last out of five Democrats who competed in the primary, with 52,464 votes.
19.
Elaine Noble did not run for re-election to the House.
20.
Elaine Noble attempted to establish a similar center in Massachusetts, but was rebuffed by local government.
21.
Elaine Noble ran unsuccessfully for the Cambridge, Massachusetts city council in 1991 and 1993.
22.
Elaine Noble ran on fiscal responsibility at the city-level, offering ideas for cutting spending without raising taxes or cutting funding to essential services.
23.
In 1994, Elaine Noble took work as head administrator at Middlesex County Hospital but resigned after six months.
24.
Elaine Noble had a relationship with writer Rita Mae Brown in the 1970s and has since retained privacy regarding her personal life.