People can't stand up and slam the gay and lesbian community when there's such a wonderful example of a public servant serving right there with them.

Every time a gay or lesbian person is chosen as a leader by their non-gay and lesbian peers, I think it's a step forward for our community.

We wanted to create a place for healing and wellness for the gay and lesbian community. But the market wasn't out there.

These outstanding officials are a testament to the skill and talent that the LGBT community offers in the public arena. The over 350 openly LGBT public officials serving with distinction in the United States today, many who lead legislative bodies or are chief executives, demonstrate that sexual orientation need not be a barrier to running for office.

And let's not make any mistake, or gloss over that fact: Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are at risk every day of their lives. Not only are we the group most at risk of violence, we are most at risk of job discrimination, losing our families; homophobia retains its title as the last socially acceptable form of bigotry.

Everyday, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in Wales avoid public spaces and places where they feel they can't express themselves. They often don't get the services they need because they won't tell the police, their doctor, teacher, youth worker, housing provider, parent, or church leader about being lesbian or gay because they anticipate being badly treated. Worse, if they do inform people that they are lesbian or gay and need service delivery to take that into account, often the response is 'We don't need to know that, we treat everyone the same'.