Steve Michael Gallardo, a fourth generation Arizonan, was born on October 25, 1968 to Jose Luis Gallardo and Alice Carrillo. He grew up in Maryvale, Arizona. He attended grade school at Starlight Park Elementary School in the Cartwright Elementary School District and Trevor G. Browne High School in the Phoenix Union High School District.
Gallardo continue his education at Rio Salado Community College. He went on to serve as Maricopa County Campaign Finance Director and Training Officer for 14 years.
Janet Napolitano, the Governor of Arizona, appointed him to the Arizona Civil Rights Advisory Board, where he served from 1998 through 2002. In 2001, he was appointed to the Maryvale Village Planning Committee by the Phoenix City Council. Gallardo served on the Governing Board of the Cartwright Elementary School District beginning in 2001. He served through 2004, and was elected in 2010 to another four-year term. He also served on the Governing Board of the Phoenix Union High School District from 2004 through 2008.
In February 2002, Gallardo resigned from Maricopa County Election Department and announced his candidacy for the Arizona House of Representatives. He was elected in November 2002 to represent Legislative District 13 covering areas of Maryvale, Glendale, Tolleson, Cashion, and Avondale. Gallardo was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. In January 2009, Gallardo stepped down from Arizona House of Representatives to work for a consulting firm.
Shortly after the enactment of Arizona SB 1070, the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in the U.S., he announced his candidacy for Arizona State Senate for Legislative District 13. He was elected in November 2010 and reelected in 2012. In 2012 he sponsored legislation to repeal the anti-immigration legislation.In January 2013, he introduced a series of bills to enhance the rights LGBT persons by ending the state's ban on same-sex marriage, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, and ending the state's preference for married persons over single persons in adoption. In October 2013, Gallardo was elected Minority Whip of the Arizona Senate by his Democratic colleagues.
In 2014, Gallardo again introduced legislation to repeal Arizona's anti-immigration law. He noted that the legislation he wanted to repeal took four years to pass and "It may take us longer to get it repealed. But we are not going to stop until we get it repealed."Following the passage of Arizona SB 1062, which sought to allow businesses to deny services to gay individuals based on their religious beliefs, and its veto by Governor Jan Brewer.
The controversy over Senate Bill 1062 prompted him to go public with his sexuality.
"I am gay, I'm a Latino, I'm a state senator and it's OK," Gallardo said at a press conference.
"After I stood up on the floor and argued against 1062, as I've done on many bills before, I sat down and said, 'Wow. This bill affects me. It affects me directly,'" Gallardo said at the press conference.
"Seeing the people out there, protesting. I thought it's time," he added. "It's time to let people know about me. And to send people a message. I'm more interested in letting people who struggle with this know that it's okay."
Gallardo is a candidate for the United States House of Representatives for Arizona's 7th congressional district in the 2014 elections, following the retirement of incumbent Ed Pastor.
Asked if this had something to do with his campaign for the 7th Congressional District seat he told reporters that his coming out has nothing to do with his congressional bid.
"I couldn't care less," Gallardo said. "This is about standing up and doing the right thing."
