Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician, United States Army Reserve officer, and political commentator who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021. Gabbard was the first Hindu member of Congress and also the first Samoan-American voting member of Congress. She was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election, before leaving the party and becoming an independent in October 2022.
In 2002, Gabbard was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives at the age of 21. Gabbard served in a field medical unit of the Hawaii Army National Guard while deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and was stationed in Kuwait from 2008 to 2009 as an Army Military Police platoon leader. While a member of Congress, she served as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2013 to 2016, and resigned to endorse Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
On December 10, 2020, Gabbard and Republican U.S. Representative Markwayne Mullin introduced a bill titled the “Protect Women’s Sports Act” that would seek to define Title IX protections on the basis of an individual’s biological sex, making it a violation for institutions that receive federal funding to “permit a person whose biological sex at birth is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” If passed, this bill would effectively ban many transgender athletes from participating in programs corresponding with their gender identity. Gabbard received condemnation from LGBT organizations and activists after introducing the bill, including the Human Rights Campaign, saying: “Gabbard has lost all credibility as an ally.”
On April 4, 2022, Gabbard endorsed Florida’s Parental Rights Bill which forbids discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public school classrooms for kindergarten through third grade. Gabbard stated the bill “bans government and government schools from indoctrinating woke sexual values in our schools to a captive audience.” She also suggested the bill should apply to all grades.
Committee assignments
Committee on Homeland Security (2013–2014)
Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
Committee on Armed Services (2013–2021)
Subcommittee on Readiness
Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Committee on Foreign Affairs (2013–2019)
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Committee on Financial Services (2019–2021)
Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy
Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion
Caucus membership
Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
Medicare for All Caucus
U.S.-Japan Caucus
How old is Tulsi Gabbard?
Gabbard was born on April 12, 1981, in Leloaloa, Maʻopūtasi County, on American Samoa’s main island of Tutuila, and as such, she is 41 years old.
