Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) was one of three out LGBTQ+ senators until last week. Butler, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to the Senate to complete the late Sen. Dianne Feinsteins (D-CA) term in October 2023, stepped down on Sunday. Newsom appointed Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) who just won the Senate race in California to fulfill the rest of Feinsteins and Butlers term in the Senate, which will last until January. Schiff will then serve his full six-year term. Related Lesbian senators fiery take on GOP extremists left Republicans silent Sen. Laphonza Butler pulled no punches when defending her own. Butler, who largely stayed out of the spotlight during her 14 months in the Senate, gave a farewell speech last Thursday. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today My final prayer as a member of this August body is that we realize that as policymakers we are generations Head Start teachers, she said, referencing the educational program that she was a part of when she was young. Every single day we can plant seeds that will grow in the hearts and minds of young leaders, and we get to decide the seeds we plant.She voted as a strong Democrat, the Sacramento Bee reports. She sponsored 33 bills and cosponsored 333 more. Her office said that she helped more than 2000 constituents with casework. Butler was the third Black woman to serve in the Senate and the first out LGBTQ+ senator from California, as well as the third out LGBTQ+ U.S. senator in history. She served alongside the first and second: Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). Sinema did not seek reelection this year, so Baldwin will be the only out LGBTQ+ senator come January. Butler was the president of the pro-choice womens political action committee EMILYs List before she was appointed to the Senate. She had a background in political strategy (serving as a senior strategist in Kamala Harris 2020 presidential campaign) and labor (serving as president of the California chapter of the SEIU, which represents nursing home and home-care workers). Butler was asked at an event in LA last month what her plans were after the Senate. I dont know, she responded. Im gonna be a mom to a 10-year-old who has picked up this new habit of competitive cheer.Laphonza has never shied away from fighting for whats right. She works not for recognition, but for the greater good a commitment that began long before her time in the Senate and will continue well beyond it, Newsom said in a statement. Thank you, Senator Butler, for your dedication and service and for honoring the life and legacy of the late Dianne Feinstein, a legacy Im confident Senator-elect Schiff will also carry forward. Vice President Harris swore Schiff in earlier on Monday on the Senate floor.I recognize that I stand on the shoulders of giants, Schiff said in comments after he was sworn in, citing Butler as well as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Feinstein, and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA)Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.