| Rue Landau | |
| Birth Date: | 20 February 1969 |
| Birth Place: | Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania |
| Spouse: | Kerry Smith (m. 2014) |
| Children: | 1 |
| Alma Mater: | University of Delaware Temple University Beasley School of Law |
| Residence: | Bella Vista, Philadelphia |
| Office1: | Member of the Philadelphia City Council from At-Large |
| Termstart1: | January 1, 2024 |
Ruthellen "Rue" Landau (born February 20, 1969) is an American politician and activist. She is a member of the Philadelphia City Council from At-Large after winning one of the seven At Large Seats in the 2023 election. She is the first openly LGBT person to serve on Council.[1] [2]
Landau was born on February 20, 1969, in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania to Myron "Mike" and Dorothy "Dosty" Landau along with her identical twin sister, Suzanne. She also has an older brother named Rich. She attended the University of Delaware where she had first came out. She decided to move to the Gayborhood in Philadelphia. She volunteered with ACT UP, an AIDS activist organization and then also with the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, a housing activists group. She decided to go to Law School at the Temple University Beasley School of Law and serve as a housing activist.
After graduating from Temple, she spent a decade at Community Legal Services to help prevent Philadelphians in cases of evictions and to help locate housings for families. She was then appointed as the director of the Commission on Human Relations, as well as the Commission of the Fair Housing Commission for the City of Philadelphia. She challenged local government like the Philadelphia Housing Authority to create fairer laws and conditions for Philadelphia families.[3]
She served as a Committeeperson in the Second Ward for the Democratic Party of Philadelphia.[4]
On December 13, 2022, Landau officially announced her bid for an at-large seat in the 2023 Philadelphia City Council election. She was endorsed by the Democratic Party of Philadelphia, Working Families Party, and Reclaim Philadelphia. Landau won one of the nominations, winning the most votes from a non-incumbent and also received more votes than Incumbent Jim Haritty. After placing fourth and winning a seat in the general election, Landau became the first LGTBQ Councilmember in Philadelphia City Council.[5] [6] [7] [8]
Landau met Kerry Smith, who lived in Boston at the time from a friend in New York City in 2002. Landau and Kerry would become the first couple in Pennsylvania to receive a same-sex marriage license when it became legal on May 20, 2014. Rue and Kerry have a son, Eli, who goes to Central High School. They currently live in Bella Vista near Rue's two siblings.