The Voters Did It Again.

They elected another trans person, this time in West Virginia.

West Virginia Elects First Out Transgender Official
The Advocate
By Trudy Ring
June 9, 2020

Rosemary Ketchum has just become the first openly transgender person elected to office in West Virginia.

Ketchum was elected to the Wheeling City Council Tuesday, besting three others in the nonpartisan race, local TV station WTRF reports. She will represent the city’s Ward 3, where incumbent Melinda Koslik did not seek reelection.

Ketchum is associate director of NAMI of Greater Wheeling, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She is a member of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission and the board of directors for the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia.

I have given workshops at NAMI conferences here in Connecticut (they have some great swag)…

Her priority issues include advocating for affordable housing, addressing homelessness and the opioid crisis, and improving infrastructure.

Remember, all politics are local.

It seems to me that all the trans candidates that have won, won on local issues, roads and taxes. If you are thinking about running remember that! You might want to pass non-discrimination laws but the people want to have that intersection fixed, they want that athletic field, etc.

“I feel excited to represent inclusivity — but I’m not making my campaign about my gender identity,” she told local newspaper The Intelligencer last year. “We have too many systemic problems we have to address, including homelessness, including addiction, including disenfranchisement. People don’t feel like they are part of their community, and one of the things we have to focus on is why people are not feeling like part of the change.
[...]
She had the endorsement of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which issued a statement from its president and CEO, Annise Parker: “Rosemary has shattered a lavender ceiling in West Virginia and will join the growing number of out trans elected officials serving nationwide. Trans people are severely underrepresented in elected office — with just 26 out trans officials anywhere in the country — so Rosemary’s victory will resonate well beyond her state. We know Rosemary’s race will inspire other trans people from conservative states to consider a run for office in their communities — and then those candidates will inspire others as well. That virtuous cycle is the key to building trans acceptance and political power long-term.”

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Then up in Vermont…

Vermont could elect first transgender House member
WCAX
By Christina Guessferd
June 10, 2020

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) Two years after Christine Hallquist ran for governor as the first openly transgender candidate on a major party ballot in Vermont, three transgender women are running for seats in the Statehouse.

Taylor Small, Ember Quinn, and Jamie Dufour are all first-time Democratic candidates vying for House seats this summer in Winooski, Milton, and Manchester, respectively. If any one of them goes on to win in November, they'll be the first openly transgender person elected to the Vermont Legislature.

The candidates say Hallquist's run was inspiring to them as members of the LGBTQ community, paving the way for better representation in the Statehouse for marginalized individuals. But each of the candidates say what really influenced their immediate decision to campaign was the change they say needs to happen in their own backyards.

"I feel like we, as a progressive state, are typically very ahead of the curve, and this is one where we are recognizing that the voices represented in our legislature right now are not congruent with the voices that are across the state of Vermont," said Small.

If you are thinking about running here in Connecticut I have some tips for you;

• Check out the UConn School of Social Work's Nancy A. Humphreys Institute’s Campaign School
• Check out Emily's List, they help progressive women get elected
• Check out Gallo & Robinson’s Connecticut Lobbying Conference
• Check out LGBTQ Victory Fund

I attended all of them, Emily’s List was one of the workshop presenters at the Campaign School and they wanted me to run for office. The school covered every part of what you need to do to run for office. From the idea, to throwing-your-hat-in-to-the-ring, raising campaign money, to organizing house parties everything you need for campaign.

I went to the Connecticut Lobbying Conference, this is from their webpage,

2019’s ‘long session’ is behind us, and the 2020 ‘short session’ is on the horizon. A historically large freshman class and a new Governor are settling in in Hartford. Despite the new faces, many old challenges and issues persist. What is the best way to move your agenda forward? How do you get a legislator to champion your cause? Featuring leaders from both parties in both chambers, as well as new and up-and-coming lawmakers, this bipartisan panel of legislators will give you honest advice from their varied perspectives.

When you stop and think about it running for office is lobbying, you are lobbying the electorate.

I am on the right side in the back of the group, you can see me peeking over the heads of everyone (The AC was right behind me and the room was stifling, so I found an AC duct.)