[2] Fisette said he chose that field of study because he "learned that government was a force for good, and public service was a noble profession."

According to Fisette, "It was here, in the recent aftermath of Harvey Milk's death that I started to recognize the importance of having openly gay men and lesbians in elected office.

[1] From 1990 to 1998, Fisette served as the director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic of Northern Virginia, a non-profit community health center that specialized in HIV/AIDS care.

[5][6] The following month Fisette lost to Benjamin Winslow, an independent candidate endorsed by Republicans, in the special election by 206 votes.

[8] He ran as a "social progressive and fiscal conservative" who would "hold down taxes, attract new jobs and protect the suburb's diverse neighborhoods."

His win was applauded by national LGBT activists and he became one of a dozen gay and lesbian candidates who won elections throughout the country that November.

[7] In August 2003, Fisette announced he would challenge Representative Jim Moran for Virginia's 8th congressional district seat, saying he had experience in education, homeland security, and housing issues.

[13] He declined to run though, citing "the contrast between the dysfunctional climate on Capitol Hill and the can-do atmosphere in Arlington" as the main reason.

[21] Fisette is married to Bob Rosen, author of The New York Times best seller Grounded and clinical psychologist who founded Healthy Companies International.