A couple of weeks before the media storm, I got a Facebook message from a friend about a transwoman she recently met named Dani. She wanted me to meet her as she is running for the house of Representatives in 2018. Dani & I chatted via Facebook and she seemed really great.
She was holding a kickoff rally for her campaign this past Saturday and I decided to attend.
Although we had chatted, I knew little of her platform. What was her message? How did she stand on various issues? These are all critical things to me, I need to know what people stand for.
My wife and I arrived fashionable late. The venue was a cool pub in an old and trendy neighborhood of Dallas with outdoor dining. The clientele was a mixed crowd, with ages ranging from early twenties to well into their 60’s. A good sign in my opinion.
I met her campaign manager, her wife, her mother and quite a few supporters. Then Dani took to the stage, well stood on a picnic table in this case, and began her speech.
She told us of a very different political beliefs in her past. She made no bones about it. ‘I used to believe this way, and I was wrong’ she told the crowd. This struck me, and the crowd, as very gutsy, and impressive.
She then went on to outline her policies and why she felt now was the time for action. It all rang true with me.
Here is a woman running for The U.S. House of representatives. The number of votes she will have to get outnumber the population of my town by a factor of several thousand. This girl has guts, this is bravery, she is a representative of the transgender community.
We (the transgender community) have awakened, our eyes are open and no longer diverted in shame. We finally understand that if we want equality, we have to have a voice in government.