Karen Peterson is an American politician who formerly represented the 9th district of the

Delaware Senate The Delaware State Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occur ...

. First elected in 2002, she is a member of the Democratic Party. Peterson served in the Senate until 2016. On May 7, 2013, Peterson came out as

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

during Senate debate on same-sex marriage in Delaware, becoming the state's first openly LGBT legislator. At that time, she had been with her partner Vikki Bandy for 24 years, and the two had entered a civil union when Delaware legalized them the year before. The two were married on July 1, 2013, becoming the first same-sex couple to convert their existing civil union into marriage in Delaware.Neff, Lisa. "Delaware gay couples marry" '' Wisconsin Gazette'' July 11, 2013; p. 4, col. 3

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* Democratic Party Delaware state senators Living people People from New Castle County, Delaware Women state legislators in Delaware LGBTQ state legislators in Delaware American lesbian politicians 21st-century American women politicians Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the Delaware General Assembly {{Delaware-politician-stub