Barbara Boxer's announcement last week that she would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2016 was hardly a surprise. For months political reporters had noted that Boxer had not been raising money, which is usually a good indicator of a re-election bid. Boxer's January 8 announcement – delivered via a YouTube video with her grandson, Zachary Rodham, playing the part of a reporter – was clever and covered all the bases. At 74, Boxer wants to return to California, but said she will remain active in issues dear to her like reproductive rights and the environment. It was also delivered a couple months earlier than pundits expected, but that's because, in the race to succeed her, running a viable statewide campaign in a state as large as California likely will run upwards of $20 million. So, Boxer's erstwhile replacements need all the time they can get to raise that campaign cash.
Boxer has represented California ably during her 21 years in the Senate, and the decade before that in the House of Representatives. She was a leader on women's rights, and famously, as a congresswoman, marched with seven others up the steps of the Senate in 1991 to demand that a vote on Clarence Thomas for a seat on the Supreme Court be postponed until accusations of sexual harassment against him could be investigated. That protest led to televised hearings – and almost derailed Thomas' nomination – and ultimately led to the 1992 "year of the woman" that saw Boxer, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, and others elected to office.
In recent years, Boxer co-sponsored the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2009. The law expands the federal definition of hate crimes to include those based on the victim's sexual orientation and gender identity.
With the increased visibility of LGBTs in everyday life and 36 states (plus Washington, D.C.) that now have marriage equality, it's hard to remember back to the mid-1990s when Boxer was blazing her trail in the Senate. She was one of just 14 senators to vote against the homophobic Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Back then that was a big deal; we didn't have a lot of straight politicians standing up for us, especially in Congress. Boxer also took the late homophobic Senator Jesse Helms to task during the confirmation hearings for lesbian then-San Francisco Supervisor Roberta Achtenberg to a top housing post in the Clinton administration.
Despite Boxer's courageous stand against DOMA, she didn't come around to embracing marriage equality until 2010, although she did oppose Proposition 8, California's now-defunct same-sex marriage ban. But, as gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) told us, "once she got there, she kicked up her heels."
Boxer leaves a legacy of service in the Senate and we're confident that whomever is elected to replace her will fully support the LGBT community.