Takano, Mark, 1960-

Mark Allan Takano (born December 10, 1960) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the United States Representative for California's 41st congressional district since 2013. Takano became the first openly gay person of Asian descent in Congress upon taking office.

Born in Riverside, California, he attended La Sierra High School there before earning an A.B. from Harvard University. After graduating, Takano taught British literature in public schools for twenty-three years. In 1990, he was elected to the Riverside Community College Board of Trustees, serving there until 2012. In 1992 and 1994, he unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 43rd congressional district.

In 2012, Takano was elected to the the U.S. House of Representatives in the newly redrawn California 41st congressional district, established in the redistricting following the 2010 United States Census. In Congress, Takano serves as chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and sits on the Committee on Education and Labor. He co-chairs the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Arts Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus, U.S.-Japan Caucus, and the Advanced Energy Storage Caucus.