It was this day 23 years ago that Cal Anderson, the namesake for Capitol Hill’s central park, was appointed as the first openly gay legislator in Washington history:

Anderson was a Democratic activist and an aide to Seattle City Council Member George Benson and to Mayor Charles Royer. He was a decorated combat veteran of the U.S. Army in Vietnam and called himself, “a Democrat who happens to be gay” (The Seattle Times). In the legislature Anderson backed gay rights legislation and battled initiatives that would discriminate against gays. He also worked for campaign finance reform, easier voter registration, and open access to government documents.

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He represented the 43rd District in the House of Representatives, won re-election and then was elected as a state senator. He died of AIDS-related complications in 1995. More from Anderson’s New York Times obituary:

 For years, Mr. Anderson waged an unsuccessful battle to have the Legislature adopt a gay rights bill. In a 1994 interview on the day the bill died for the 17th consecutive year, Mr. Anderson said his tenure in the Legislature put a human face on homosexuality and would pave the way for passage of the legislation.

“Egotistically, my being in the House has helped, because they see that gay men care about the same issues they do, that we are not monsters,” he said.