 He became the fifth openly LGBT member of the Nevada legislature, alongside Senators David Parks and Patricia Spearman and Assemblymembers James Healey and Andrew Martin.Atkinson and his partner Sherwood Howard were the first same-sex couple to marry in Nevada, which occurred on October 9, 2014.On March 5, 2019, Kelvin Atkinson resigned amid federal charges accusing him of misusing campaign funds for personal use.