Connecticut Nominates First Openly Queer Supreme Court Justice

Out and celebrated queer politician Andrew J. McDonald was recently nominated to become a Supreme Court Justice by Connecticut Democratic Governor Dannel P. Malloy.

According to the Hartford Current,  if his nomination is accepted, McDonald will be the first queer politician elected to the Supreme Court. He would be replacing Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers, retiring in February. McDonald started his career when he was appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court by Malloy, an unusual and high-ranking appointment to give someone just starting out in the legal world.

“I am deeply grateful to Governor Malloy for the confidence and trust he has placed in me with this nomination,” Mcdonald told the Hartford Current. “When I was born here in Connecticut a little more than 50 years ago, loving relationships like the one Charles and I cherish were criminal in 49 states, including Connecticut. And when I came out in the early 1990s, I had family members who loved me deeply but so counseled me against pursuing either a career in law or in public service because of the deeply ingrained prejudices held by some people at that time.”

McDonald is married to Charles Gray, a loving husband whom he says provides him with support.

With our tenuous political climate, queer folks everywhere are holding their breath to see if we can welcome in an LGBTQ Justice in 2018!