Reed Gusciora, an openly gay man, was
sworn in as mayor of Trenton, New Jersey on Sunday.
The longtime Democratic assemblyman
came out in 2006 to become New Jersey's first out legislator.
On Sunday, he became Trenton's
first openly gay mayor. Gusciora was sworn in a day after he
resigned the legislative seat he had held for 22 years.
Gusciora was elected last month,
defeating Paul Perez, also a Democrat, in a runoff election.
As a Democratic member of the General
Assembly, Gusciora, 58, co-sponsored a bill that sought to extend
marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. Republican Governor
Chris Christie vetoed the legislation. Gay couples began marrying in
New Jersey after the state's highest court struck down the state's
ban in 2013.
In its 2013 Municipal Equality Index
(MEI), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT
rights advocate, ranked New Jersey's capital as the least
gay-friendly city in the state.