Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has sparked a provocative discussion by suggesting that the United States might have already had a gay president—without naming names.
In a conversation on Capitol Hill Wednesday, the New York Democrat challenged the assumption that a gay or female president would be a first for the country. She pointed out that historical records and recent documentaries have raised questions about the sexuality of some past leaders, notably Abraham Lincoln.
AOC did not single out any specific president, but she referenced the body of work exploring Lincoln's possible same-sex relationships. The 2024 documentary "Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln" argues that the 16th president may have had intimate relationships with men.
"We might already have had a gay president," she said, urging Americans to reconsider long-held assumptions about the private lives of historical figures.