Elaine Noble (born January 22, 1944) is an American politician and LGBT activist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for two terms starting in January 1975. She was the first openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a state legislature. She served two terms as representative for the Fenway-Kenmore and Back Bay neighborhoods of Boston. Early life and education Elaine Noble was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, on January 22, 1944. Noble gained her B.F.A degree from Boston University in 1966, an S.M. in speech and education at Emerson College in 1970, and an M.Ed. at Harvard University in 1974. After graduation, she worked at a job-year women's school where she came out as a lesbian. Activism Before entering politics, Noble worked as a speech instructor and an advertising manager. She was involved in LGBT rights activism in Boston. Noble helped organize Boston's early Pride marches. With Ann Murray, she formed the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, and served on the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. Political career Massachusetts House of Representatives In 1974, Noble was elected to the state House of Representatives for the 6th Suffolk district with 59% of the vote. She has described the campaign as "very ugly," including "shooting through my windows, destroying my car, breaking windows at my campaign headquarters, [and] serious harassment." Her election made her the first openly LGBT candidate elected to a state-level office in the United States. She was sworn into office on New Year's Day 1975 by governor Michael Dukakis. As an educator, Noble supported desegregation of Boston public schools. She encouraged her campaigners to oversee school pick-ups and drop-offs for children in her district. She was the only white member of the Boston delegation that rode school busses with the children. Her support angered her constituents, both conservative as well as gay and lesbian, who expected her to focus solely on gay and lesbian issues. Her house was vandalized and she was threatened with a gun. She also felt burdened and frustrated by the demands of gay men and lesbians who seemed to expect that she speak for all of them. She said, "The gay community expected me to be on call 24 hours a day. It was like they felt they owned me." Noble was an early critic of Father Paul Shanley, a Catholic priest who was ultimately convicted of sex crimes in 2005. She