Source:  Gary D. Robertson, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 11/19/09

State Sen. Julia Boseman, the first openly gay person elected to the General Assembly, announced Thursday she won't seek a fourth term in the Senate next year, citing family responsibilities.

Boseman, D-New Hanover, will serve the remainder of her two-year term through 2010. But she said she wanted to be closer to her Wilmington home in part because her partner is having a baby soon. She also has a 7-year-old son from a previous relationship.

"Being a parent has been my guiding force as a senator and it is as a parent that I have made this decision," Boseman said in a prepared statement.

The Wilmington attorney also has been dealing with financial and personal pressures in the past two years, including a loan default, unpaid property taxes and a child-custody dispute with her former domestic partner. She also acknowledged she smoked marijuana the year before she was elected to the Legislature.

Boseman, a former New Hanover County commissioner, said those situations haven't been a burden upon her ability to serve her constituents, who re-elected her in 2008 by a narrow margin. Her departure may give Republicans a better opportunity to win back the swing district seat.

"I've always been honest about who I am and honest about the issues," Boseman said in a phone interview. "My hope is continuing to good things for my district and for North Carolina."

Boseman, 43, was first elected to the Senate in 2004 during a campaign in which Republican ads and mailings contended she would push to legalize gay marriage if elected.

She largely stayed clear of hot-button social issues during her first four years in the Senate. She focused on bills barring sales of graphically violent or sexually explicit video games to minors, expanding tax incentives to boost Wilmington's film industry, domestic violence prevention and improving the public schools.

Gays and lesbians "care about the same things that other people think about: protecting our schools, bringing jobs home and protecting out kids," Boseman said. "What I'm proud of most is protecting the most vulnerable."

In 2009, her sexual orientation was more prominent as she pushed successfully legislation that requires all school districts to approve detailed anti-bullying policies. Conservatives opposed the bill because they argued it would give special rights to gays and lesbians, but Boseman disagreed and said it would help all children be safe in school.

"Sen. Boseman taking the lead on this bill made all the difference in the state Senate," said Ian Palmquist, executive director of the gay-rights group Equality North Carolina.

Boseman also said she cast the lone vote against a General Assembly resolution honoring the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms because she remembered him for his lengthy opposition to civil rights legislation and increased funding to fight AIDS.

Boseman said she's interested in running for political office again.

Palmquist said Boseman's election made her a pioneer in North Carolina politics and "I'm hoping she's inspired other gay and lesbian people to run for office."

"She's been an incredible leader for us," he added.