Broward County, Florida’s 1.8 million citizens will have an openly gay mayor when County Commissioner Ken Keechl assumes the role later today.  The jurisdiction will become one of the largest in the U.S. to be governed by an openly gay elected official.  The Sun-Sentinel reported:

Dan Pinello, a political scientist who specializes in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender politics at the City University of New York and past chairman of the LGBT caucus of the American Political Science Association, said it wouldn’t be a big deal in New York or Massachusetts.

“Especially in a state like Florida, … that’s progress where there’s a lot needed. So bravo,” Pinello said. “In places like Florida or Texas it is comparatively monumental.

“Any public officeholder who is openly gay and is known as such, who has greater, increased visibility, it is an important event,” he said. And anytime one of those public officials can “demonstrate that they’re an effective public servant and that they’re not in any way different from their heterosexual counterparts is a win for the LGBT community.

Hastings Wyman, founding editor of the Southern Political Report newsletter, also said Keechl’s new role is significant.

“I think it’s a big deal. It’s one more step in growing acceptance of gay people in public life. Also history shows that when people begin to work with gay public officials they find a much greater willingness to listen to them on gay issues,” he said.