Transgender Candidate Doesn't Support LGBT Rights
by Jordan Rubenstein May 28, 2010 07:30 AM (PT)
http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/transgender_candidate_doesnt_support_lgbt_rights (http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/transgender_candidate_doesnt_support_lgbt_rights)
Donna Milo, a Cuban-American, conservative Republican is running to replace a Democrat, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Milo is not your average Congressional candidate and is an especially surprising candidate for a Republican Congressional seat. Milo is a transgender woman.
Why is a transgender woman running as a Republican? There are certainly more aspects of politics than LGBT rights, and Milo has a wide range of conservative beliefs. But is it a conflict for someone in the LGBT community to run for Congress as a Republican?
When each of us made the personal decision to to trans, the official transgender instruction book didn't magically show up in the mail. Gay marriage isn't the number one priority for everyone in the LGBT community, we are a very politically diverse group. While I support marriage rights for all, when it comes to picking a candidate for political office that isn't the first thing I look for. Having a transgender (and a Hispanic) on the Republican ticket is fantastic, I'm increasingly placing fiscal conservatism on my list of priorities and unfortunately the Democrats I've supported in the past won't provide this.
If Ms. Milo were running in Washington State I would certainly look at her.