Four lesbian elected and appointed officials have claimed spots on Go Magazine’s recently chosen 100 “Women We Love” list. The four officials are Cambridge, Mass. Mayor E. Denise Simmons, California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, New York City Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark and Australian Senator-elect Louise Clare Pratt.

The magazine says of the women:

E. Denise Simmons: Simmons has been deeply committed to civic engagement in her home city of Cambridge throughout her life. “I provide tangible evidence of what a lesbian, a woman, a person of color or even what a parent going it alone can do,” she says.

Sheila Kuehl:  When there was little or no precedent, she worked to add protections against discrimination in schools on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill was struck down three times in a row, until a shift occurred in 1999: “I saw how personal the work is to all of us who serve in legislatures,” she recalls. “Everyone, virtually without exception, talked about their families and friends, a brother who had died of AIDS, a sister who had been beaten for being perceived as a lesbian, though she wasn’t…story after story. I felt both the burden and the privilege of being the first gay person elected to our legislature, and a deep connection to our community.”

Martha E. Stark: After her appointment by Mayor Bloomberg in 2002, she worked to streamline the agency by administering tax rebates and coaxing banks into underserved neighborhoods. “I grew up in the public housing projects in Brownsville and went to Brooklyn Tech High School…When David Dinkins was elected Mayor in 1989 it inspired me to take an opportunity to give back to the city that has given so much to me…government work gives you that chance.”

Louise Clare Pratt: Not only has Pratt been an LGBT activist since her early twenties, she became the youngest woman ever elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council in 2001 at age 28. According to Merryn Johns, Editor in Chief of LOTL International, “Louise Pratt has been on the lesbian radar and has indeed been a visible presence on Australia’s political scene for some time…[she] has always been out, and never saw her sexuality as an obstacle to a high profile political career.”

Among the celebrants of yesterday’s California Supreme Court ruling are the state’s five openly gay legislators.

Yesterday, two-time marriage bill sponsor Mark Leno released a statement praising the justices’ decision. Now, the other lawmakers are chiming in.

State Sen. Sheila Kuehl told The Advocate:

About one minute to 10 a.m., people started gathering around my desk, and when we were able to get the document, we started going through [Chief Justice Ronald] George’s opinion. Then at about 11 a.m., the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee was on the phone with Justice George, and so I got a chance to get on the phone with him and I got to thank him. Then, Justice Joyce Kennedy was in the building, speaking in favor of an appointment nominee, so I went down to the chambers and spoke with her too.

This must be particularly gratifying after the state legislature passed a marriage bill twice only to be vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger both times. I thought it was generous and wonderful of the governor that literally 10 minutes after the opinion was announced, he issued a statement backing the opinion of the court. He said that he would uphold the opinion, and he said he would come out in opposition to any attempts to strike it down.

State Sen. Carole Migden released a statement declaring:

This is one fine day that believers always knew was coming. We applaud the good sense and legal fairness of our very well-educated and open-minded California Supreme Court. LGBT people will long herald this moment as an obliteration of old ideas and the birth of a new day of sunshine.

Assemblymember John Laird also released a statement:

Today the California Supreme Court took an important and historic step forward for equality for all Californians. As an Assemblymember and chair of the legislature’s LGBT Caucus, I’m thrilled with this morning’s court ruling because it is a victory for fairness and opportunity in California.

Clearly, today is a day to celebrate. Two people in a committed and trusting relationship deserve the opportunity for dignity and support that come with marriage. But we must also stay focused on the struggle to maintain the rights that have now been validated by the state Supreme Court. The momentum generated today will be needed to stop the ballot measure that may be on this November’s ballot.

The Court did its job today, ensuring that all Californians are treated fairly and equally under the law.