Gerry E. Studds was born on May 12, 1937, in Mineola, New York. He studied history at Yale University, where he earned both his bachelor's and master’s degrees. Afterwards, he helped develop the Peace Corps under the Kennedy administration and taught at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, where he developed a following of progressive students. 

In 1972, Studds was elected by Massachusetts to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as the first openly gay congressman until 1997. He was outed in 1983 during the congressional page scandal, in which he was accused of making sexual advances on a 17-year-old page. Studds waived his right to a public hearing to protect the identities of those involved and came out as gay. He was censured by the House and lost his position on the Committee of Merchant Marine and Fisheries, but it did not affect his career otherwise. He received two standing ovations during his first town meeting in his home district following the scandal. 

 Studds retired from Congress in 1997 to live with his partner, Dean Hara, on Cape Cod. They married in 2004 following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, and Studds died of a pulmonary embolism on October 14, 2006. For more on Gerry E. Studds, visit “Out and Elected in the USA: 1974-2000,” by Ron Schlittler.