N.J. woman to break new ground as first elected transgender DNC member

[Shana A]

N.J. woman to break new ground as first elected transgender DNC member
Published: Sunday, September 02, 2012, 7:00 AM
David Giambusso/The Star-Ledger

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/09/nj_woman_to_break_new_ground_a.html

EDISON — Barbra Casbar Siperstein is scheduled to arrive in Charlotte today as the first elected transgender member of the Democratic National Committee. She has been New Jersey's first and only transgender power broker for a lot longer.

In a state with a reputation for machismo, that's no small feat for someone who describes herself as "a woman scarred by years of testosterone."

But for Siperstein, known to most as Babs, it's surprisingly easy to get people past the fact that for almost 50 years much of the world knew her as Barry: an Army veteran, a small-business man, a husband and a father of three.

"I would encourage as many transgender people to engage in the party as possible," said Siperstein, 70, of Edison. "Most of us are stealth."