Monday, November 02, 2009
In The U.S., When Will An Open Trans Person Get Elected To Congress?
Posted by Monica Roberts at 7:00 AM
http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2009/11/in-us-when-will-open-trans-person-get.htmlThe success of Beyer, Luxuria and Kamikawa caught the attention of trans people in the United States and elsewhere in the world – people who, like myself, have contemplated running for political office. It gave us evidence that the psychological barriers to voters putting a qualified trans person in office may be coming down. It also gives us hope that some of us can personally run, and win.
For now, Karen Kerin attempted to make history by running for Vermont's sole US House seat in 2000 as a Republican, but lost to independent Bernie Sanders. Transgender people in the United States have models in not only openly gay US representatives such as Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin, (D-WI) and Jared Polis (D-CO), but have the history of African American Congressional representation to serve as a guide.