Elaine Noble (born January 22, 1944) is an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and
LGBT activist
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...
who served in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
for two terms starting in January 1975. She was
the first openly
lesbian or
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
candidate elected to a state legislature.
She served two terms as representative for the
Fenway-Kenmore and
Back Bay
Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...
neighborhoods of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
Early life and education
Elaine Noble was born in
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
New Kensington, known locally as New Ken, is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is situated along the Allegheny River, northeast of Pittsburgh. The population was 12,170 at the 2010 census.
History
Like much of Westmoreland Cou ...
, on January 22, 1944.
Noble gained her
B.F.A degree from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
in 1966, an
S.M. in speech and education at
Emerson College in 1970, and an
M.Ed.
The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1974.
After graduation, she worked at a job-year women's school where she came out as a lesbian.
Activism
Before entering politics, Noble worked as a speech instructor and an advertising manager.
She was involved in
LGBT rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, ...
activism in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
Noble helped organize Boston's early
Pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...
marches.
With Ann Murray, she formed the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, and served on the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women.
Political career
Massachusetts House of Representatives
In 1974, Noble was elected to the state House of Representatives for the
6th Suffolk district with 59% of the vote.
She has described the campaign as "very ugly," including "shooting through my windows, destroying my car, breaking windows at my campaign headquarters,
ndserious harassment."
Her election made her the first openly LGBT candidate elected to a state-level office in the United States.
She was sworn into office on
New Year's Day 1975 by governor
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...
.
[
]
As an educator, Noble supported desegregation of Boston public schools. She encouraged her campaigners to oversee school pick-ups and drop-offs for children in her district. She was the only white member of the Boston delegation that rode school busses with the children. Her support angered her constituents, both conservative as well as gay and lesbian, who expected her to focus solely on gay and lesbian issues. Her house was vandalized and she was threatened with a gun. She also felt burdened and frustrated by the demands of gay men and lesbians who seemed to expect that she speak for all of them. She said, "The gay community expected me to be on call 24 hours a day. It was like they felt they owned me."
Noble was an early critic of Father
Paul Shanley, a Catholic priest who was ultimately convicted of sex crimes in 2005. She reported Shanley's comments and behavior to Boston officials on several occasions in the 1970s to no avail.
Noble was re-elected in 1976 with almost 90% of the vote, and her second two-year term started on January 1, 1977.
In March 1977, Noble was part of the first delegation of gay men and lesbians invited to the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
under President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
to discuss issues important to the
LGBT community.
1978 United States Senate campaign
After two terms in the Massachusetts House, Noble ran for the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in 1978. She finished last out of five Democrats who competed in the primary, with 52,464 votes (5.8%). She did not run for re-election to the House.
Later work in politics
She later went to work for Mayor of Boston
Kevin White. Noble was required to testify in front of a
grand jury for nineteen hours in connection with an
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
investigation into bribery in the mayor's office. No charges were brought against Noble.
After leaving Mayor White's office, Noble established Noble Consulting, a healthcare consulting group. In 1986, Noble and
Ellen Ratner
Ellen Ratner (born in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American news analyst who formerly appeared on the Fox News Channel and appeared on ''The Strategy Room'' and '' The Long and Short of It''. She is a retired White House correspondent and former bure ...
formed a LGBT alcohol and drug treatment center in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
called the Pride Institute. She attempted to establish a similar center in Massachusetts, but was rebuffed by local government. Noble ran unsuccessfully for the
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
city council in 1991 and 1993.
In her 1991 campaign, she expressed support for rent control policies, a domestic partnership ordinance, and direct election of the city's mayor. Noble also ran on fiscal responsibility at the city-level, offering ideas for cutting spending without raising taxes or cutting funding to essential services.
Despite some policy differences, including on abortion, Noble endorsed
Francis X. Bellotti as Democratic candidate in the 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial race.
Retirement from public life
In 1994, Noble took work as head administrator at
Middlesex County Hospital but resigned after six months.
In 2009, she made a rare fundraising appearance at a Stonewall gala benefiting Compass Community Center in
Lake Worth, Florida
Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Worth ...
.
Personal life
Noble had a relationship with writer
Rita Mae Brown
Rita Mae Brown (born November 28, 1944) is an American feminist writer, best known for her coming-of-age autobiographical novel, ''Rubyfruit Jungle''. Brown was active in a number of civil rights campaigns and criticized the marginalization of le ...
in the 1970s and has since retained privacy regarding her personal life. She lives in Florida.
Tributes
In 2015, she was named by the Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons of the 2015
LGBT History Month
LGBT History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. It was founded in 1994 by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodn ...
.
See also
*
LGBT culture in Boston
*
List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
This is a list of political offices which have been held by a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person, with details of the first such holder of each office. It should only list people who came out as LGBT before or during their terms in off ...
*
169th Massachusetts General Court
References
External links
Should Marriage Between Homosexuals Be Permitted? Debate on Same-sex Marriage, ''The Advocates'', 1974.
Something Personal; A Woman's Place Is In The House: A Portrait of Elaine Noble; 1051977-00-00,
WGBH,
American Archive of Public Broadcasting
The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, founded through the efforts of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The AAPB is a national effort to digital ...
(WGBH and the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
), Boston, MA and Washington, DC
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, Elaine
1944 births
Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni
Emerson College alumni
Harvard University alumni
Lesbian politicians
American LGBT rights activists
LGBT state legislators in Massachusetts
LGBT people from Pennsylvania
Living people
Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Women state legislators in Massachusetts
Politicians from Boston
21st-century American women