Sheila Kuehl
Kuehl was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994, becoming the first openly gay person elected to the California legislature. While running for office Kuehl found she was able to offset some negative stereotypes people had about lesbians thanks to their familiarity with her role as Zelda. She told an interviewer "When people know gay people personally, they tend to feel differently about the whole community. And all of a sudden, here's a person that they knew very well that they found out was lesbian."
Sheila Kuehl
Kuehl also helped establish oversight of the Probation Department and is working to reform the adult and juvenile justice systems, emphasizing "second chance" and anti-recidivism programs. She supported the creation of the Office of Child Protection, and oversaw the opening of Campus Kilpatrick – a state-of-the-art juvenile justice facility that emphasizes trauma-informed rehabilitation.