EXCLUSIVE: Tammy Baldwin Speaks With AOL's 'MAKERS'

The two words that most often precede Tammy Baldwin's name are "senator" and "lesbian." But more than a career or sexual identity, Baldwin, a progressive Democrat from Wisconsin, is a trailblazer. In 1995, when she was a state representative in Wisconsin, she championed for marriage equality. Later, when she was elected to the U.S. House, she opposed the Iraq War, rallied for equal pay and, more recently, now that she's a senator, has thrown her weight behind lifting the FDA's homophobic blood bans.

It's for those reasons, among others, that MAKERS, an AOL-backed website dedicated to great ladies, including Hillary Clinton, Christiane Amanpour, Ellen DeGeneres and Billie Jean King, is celebrating Baldwin's life, career, and social commitment in a forthcoming interview.

Though the interview won't appear at MAKERS until Friday morning, the producers were kind enough to share an exclusive sneak peak with us, and now we're sharing it with you. Give it a view to learn more about Tammy Baldwin, including about her experience being raised by her grandparents, how Geraldine Ferraro inspired her, and why she fights so hard for the uninsured. As she puts it, lawmakers "don't check life experience at the door" when they're elected.