Prime minister of Andorra Xavier Espot Zamora comes out as gay

• Xavier Espot Zamora comes out.
• He promotes policies to advance LGBTQ+ equality.
• He’s one of the few openly gay world leaders.

On a significant date — not only for the United States but also for practically the whole world — September 11, unexpected news was revealed.

The Prime Minister of Andorra Xavier Espot Zamora came out as gay in an interview with his country’s broadcaster.

According to E News, he has been Prime Minister since 2019, after winning parliamentary elections.

This sovereign nation is located in southwestern Europe, between France and Spain.

«I am gay»

«I’m gay. I’ve never hidden it. I have never felt discriminated against because of my sexual orientation,» he announced.

The Prime Minister of Andorra said that he was delighted to be able to help young people who are in difficult situations.

In 2005, a civil union law was introduced in this country, allowing same-sex unions.

A couple of years ago, same-sex marriage was legalized, coming into effect in 2022. It was in this year that Xavier came out.

Andorra’s Prime Minister says he never hid his sexuality

This was not all Xavier Espot Zamora said in the radio interview.

He also stated that he had never hidden his sexual orientation, although he had not been asked about it before.

«Now, if I’m not asked I don’t have to say it, in the sense that it doesn’t define the entirety of who I am… But at the same time I think it shouldn’t be a problem to express it,» he revealed.

Furthermore, the politician stated that, regardless of their sexual orientation, everyone can thrive in his country and «reach the highest office.»

Other openly LGBTQ+ world leaders

While one might think that Xavier Espot Zamora is the first head of state to come out as gay, the reality is quite different.

Edgars Rinkēvičs was sworn in as the President of Latvia in July. One of his goals is to promote an inclusive and respectful society. He is also openly gay.

There is also Leo Varadkar, who has held the position of Taoiseach (prime minister) in Ireland since December of last year.

There is also Ana Brnabić, who is the first woman, and the first openly lesbian, Prime Minister of Serbia. She took office in 2017.

More about Xavier Espot Zamora

Xavier Espot Zamora turned 44 on October 30. As mentioned earlier, he has been Andorra’s prime minister since 2019.

He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Law from the Faculty of the Higher School of Administration and Business Management.

Furthermore, he is a licensed Humanist from the Faculty of Philosophy at the Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, Spain.

He was elected with an absolute majority, with the support of both the Liberals of Andorra and the Lauredian Union.

He was surprised by the public’s reaction

According to El Diario, Xavier Espot Zamora was surprised by the public reaction after he came out as gay.

«Perhaps we have not finished normalizing sexual diversity,» said the Prime Minister of Andorra in an interview with Catalunya Radio just a day later.

He referred to a bill he announced in August related to residence permits in Andorra. It caused quite a controversy.

«Does that mean that we will turn Andorra into an absolute linguistic dictatorship? Obviously not. People will be able to continue speaking in the language they want,» he said.