Tom Ammiano is an American politician and gay rights activist from San Francisco, California. Ammiano is a Democrat and a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 13th district.
Ammiano founded the movement (No on 6) against the Briggs Initiative, that would ban all gay people from teaching in California and was successful in defeating the initiative. Though he started working as a teacher, he got elected as a member of San Francisco Board of Education in 1990. He was subsequently elected its vice-president in 1991, and then president in 1992. As president of the Board of Education, Ammiano was successful in his efforts to include a gay and lesbian sensitivity curriculum for all students. As a member of Board of Supervisors, he was the leading force in the creation of the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance, which made San Francisco, the first city in the nation to provide universal healthcare access. As a candidate in the San Francisco mayoral race of 1999, Ammiano forced a run-off with the incumbent Willie Brown, but lost the second election. As a member of the California State Assembly, Amnmiano has introduced a bill to the California legislature that if passed would legalize cannabis in the state. The proposal would regulate marijuana like alcohol, with people over 21 years old allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis - all of which is barred by federal law.
Tom "The Mother of Gay Comedy," Ammiano has also been a stand up comic since 1980 when he pioneered gay comedy night at the Valencia Rose Cabaret in San Francisco. Ammiano is also featured in the Oscar-winning documentary, The Life and Times of Harvey Milk.
In personal life, Ammiano is the surviving partner of an 19-year domestic partnership and has one 20-year old daughter and is now a grandfather.

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