Latvia swore in the first openly gay president of a Baltic nation Saturday. Edgars Rinkēvičs, who since 2011 was the country’s foreign minister, was elected by Parliament in May after President Egils Levits did not seek re-election. Rinkēvičs is known for being a strong supporter of Ukraine’s cause, and in his inaugural speech, he reaffirmed that commitment. Rinkēvičs announced he is gay on Twitter in November 2014, though the country, a former Soviet republic, is not especially LGBTQ+ inclusive. The country allows for same-sex civil unions, for example, but not same-sex marriages. Hours before he came out, Rinkēvičs tweeted that he would continue to fight for a legal framework for all kinds of partnerships. He said he knew there would be mega hysteria, and ended the post with the hashtag #Proudtobegay. He is one of just a few openly gay heads of state in the world.
