Putting a face on the issue

[Shana A]

Putting a face on the issue
by Laura Kiritsy
Editor-in-chief
Thursday Apr 9, 2009

http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=89454

Seated in an anteroom in the State House office suite of state Rep. Brian Wallace, Joanne Herman told legislative aide Carol Houghtaling, that she was nothing more than "a boring accountant."

"You kind of look like a boring accountant," Houghtaling replied with a chuckle.

Under other circumstances, Herman, a South Boston resident who was making her first foray as a citizen lobbyist to urge Wallace to support the transgender rights bill, would likely have felt insulted. But given that her goal was to acquaint her state representative and his staff with a transgender constituent, the boring label was probably more helpful than hurtful.