Andorra’s prime minister just came out as gay

Andorra Prime Minister Xavier Espot Zamora came out as gay in an interview with Ràdio Nacional d’Andorra yesterday.

“I’m gay. I’ve never hid it,” he said. “Now, if I’m not asked, I don’t have to say it, in the sense that it doesn’t define the entirety of my person and even less of my personal politics. But at the same time, I think it shouldn’t be a problem to express it.”

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“Latvia is a sovereign, free, and democratic country. But it must be legal and fair for all,” he said in his inaugural address.

“And if this helps many children, young people, or teenagers, who are going through a difficult time, see that in the end, regardless of their condition or sexual orientation, in this country you can prosper and reach the highest magistracy because I am happy to express it.”

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This makes Espot Zamora the eighth out head of state or government in world history. He and the others – Prime Minister Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg, Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir of Iceland, Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo of Belgium, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić of Serbia, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland, President Edgars Rinkēvičs of Latvia, Captain Regent Paolo Rondelli of San Marino – all lead or led smaller European nations.

Espot Zamora, 43, was a judge before he was appointed secretary of justice and the interior in 2011 and elected prime minister in 2019.

His announcement comes about a year after Andorra became the 33rd country to legalize marriage equality with a law that went into effect earlier this year. The new law also created a system for transgender people to update their name and gender marker on legal documents without providing proof of medical care.