Out Lesbian Christine Quinn to Fill Hillary Clinton's Senate Seat?

While the buzz continues that Hillary Clinton could leave behind her U.S. Senate seat to become President-Elect Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, major news outlets are kicking around the possibility that out lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will take over where Clinton left off in the Senate.

"I am very excited for Senator Clinton that her name has been thrown out there and is obviously really, really under consideration for Secretary of State,” Quinn said when New York Daily News reporter Frank Lombardi popped the question to Quinn as to whether or not she might fill Clinton’s seat.

"There's a lot of steps that have to fall into place before we get to the point where we might have to look for a United States senator," Quinn said."I am very lucky to have a job right now, a job that I love and I am at this moment planning to run for both of the jobs that I have -- local councilmember and speaker."

Quinn, the first woman and the first openly gay speaker of the City Council would also become the first openly gay member of the Senate should Clinton move on and New York’s Governor David Paterson offer her the post.

While it’s not the first time Quinn’s name has been tossed around as a possible replacement for Clinton, it’s the first time she’s been asked if she would take the job if offered, according to the Daily News.

But Quinn didn’t answer one way or the other; rather she focused her answer on her support of Clinton.

"It's obviously no secret how enthusiastically I feel about our senator. I supported her candidacy for president. I think she would be an asset to this country as a cabinet member and I hope that comes to pass if that's something that she and her family want,” Quinn said.

Quinn, 42, was elected to the Council in 1999, representing a Manhattan district that includes Chelsea and Greenwich Village, according to the New York Times.