Trans Man Runs For New York City Council

Could Mel Wymore become the next City Council representative from the Upper West Side?

He seems to have the credentials to be elected, or at least to ensure a good run:  He's a very well-respected member of his community board who's active in a number of other community affairs.  And, he's a well-educated, successful professional.

Oh, and one other thing:  He used to be named Melanie.

Yes, he lived as a woman and lived through the narratives many of us had to endure, all in the hope of reconciling ourselves.  He worked at an aerospace company in Arizona but moved to New York for a relationship that became a marriage.  However, at age 35, he realized something was "missing" and came out as a lesbian.  A decade later, in spite of his reluctance to go through another "famliy-disrupting, life-changing transition", he began surgical and other changes to live as a man.

While most of his colleagues and family accepted his transition, there were some alienating or simply awkward moments.  They made him, he said, more determined to fight for the disabled and other people who are excluded.

Of course, I am happy that Mel has chosen to run in his district's Democratic Party primary for the City Council seat.  However, I have to wonder how his story might have been different if the orders of "Melanie" and "Mel", and "F" and "M" had been reversed in his life.

Stacie Laughton Resigns

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the election of Stacie Laughton, New Hampshire's first transgender legislator.

Now she has resigned.  It seems that she didn't disclose some criminal activity in her recent past.

Probably the most serious of her transgressions is the attempt to commit credit card fraud, though her and her ex-wife's feigning illnesses to get an ambulance ride when they were stranded isn't something to be proud of, either.

On one hand, I find myself thinking, "Well, at least she isn't a murderer or child abuser.  And other elected officials have done worse things, before entering and while serving in office.  On the other hand, I fault her for not having disclosed her legal troubles while she was campaigning.  Perhaps she would not have won the election, but that would have been better than the public embarrassment she's caused herself and many other people.

Aside from her lack of honesty, what concerns me is the impression this leaves on some people.  They might see trans people as inherently deceptive, and that acts such as Staci's are par for the course for people who are distancing themselves from their pasts.

Then again, there are other trans officials, elected and appointed.  Perhaps they can help to overcome whatever damage Ms. Laughton might have done.