EX TENEBRIS CRESCIT FLOS
A TRANNY INVADES THE POLITICAL ARENA
April 11, 2004
The Caucus and the District Officer Election
In the past, I have been involved a little in local politics. I have attended
neighborhood caucuses a few times and served twice as delegate to the county
and state conventions of the Democratic Party, all as my old male self. This
year, I decided to show up to the caucus, but as a woman, since I am now living
full time in that role. It was a lot better this time around. By an
overwhelming vote of One to Nothing (I was the only one from my precinct to
show up), I was elected Delegate to the county and state conventions, as well
as Precinct Chair. Precinct Vice-chair, Secretary, and Treasurer went unfilled.
The Precinct Chair position puts me on the County Central Committee.
One week later, an election for officers of Legislative District 37 was held.
Others, fortunately, wanted to be District Chair and Vice-chair (those positions
seemed like they were beyond my current experience), but no one wanted to be
Secretary, so I volunteered for that position. Only a few people showed up to
this election. Only Precinct Chairs and Vice-chairs in the district voted in
the election.
My Political Intentions
So now a transsexual holds three official (but somewhat lowly) positions in the
Democratic Party. What should I do with all this power and influence? First
and foremost, I feel obligated to represent the interests of my voting
precinct, even though I am rather disappointed that I was the only person to
show up to the caucus. As Secretary for the legislative district, I will be
compiling a database of active Democrats in the area, so perhaps I can send out
letters and e-mails and hopefully coax some of them into a little activity, so
that I am not alone at the next caucus in two years.
Additionally, by virtue of who and what I am, I will be a representative of the
transgender community. This is, perhaps, a greater responsibility. By
attending various meetings and conventions, and by possibly meeting others in
my area, I will interact with people who may not have encountered many
transsexuals or might have negative opinions of us. I intend to prove the
negative stereotypes wrong. Generally, I am not an in-your-face activist or
extremist. I am more of a pragmatist who prefers to work with people and not
get into confrontations. In situations such as conventions and party meetings,
my demeanor and attitude are professional and business-like - definitely
non-threatening. I will not hide who I am, but I also will not wear it as a
loud and obnoxious badge of honor. There is certainly a place in this world
for in-your-face activist types, and they certainly can do a lot of good, but
those of us who are pragmatic and non-confrontational can also get good results.
Hopefully, by simply being there and helping out in the political process, I
can show that transsexuals are just ordinary people who have the same basic
concerns as anyone else, but who happen to have certain "unique"
characteristics. The "big issues" which are important to many of us, such as
hate crimes legislation, non-discrimination, and marriage, are not likely to
come up directly at this low level in the process, but maybe I can have a
little input. However, my presence here should help indirectly simply because
others in the party may get to know a little about transgender issues, and
perhaps some will be sympathetic. I intend not to turn people off, but to help
educate them in a friendly and non-confrontational way.
Being transgendered is only part of who I am, and my activity in the political
process will reflect that. I am sure it will come up, but I will spend a lot
more time and energy on other issues and, especially, on trying to get others
involved. Still, at least I am involved, and therefore in a position to either
give the transgender community a good name or to screw it up for all of us. I
intend to do the former.
Future Events
This will be a continuing story. The County Convention is on April 24, and the
State Convention is on May 7-8. I plan on attending these events. There will
also be other meetings and events which take place during the next two years.
I will write about these events as they take place. It will be an interesting
experience.
Contact Information
If there is anyone reading this article who is located in Voting Precinct
4438 or elsewhere within Legislative District 37 of the State of Utah, and who
is interested in the Democratic Party, you can e-mail me
here and I will help you get in
touch with the right people or give you whatever information I can. I will
hold these positions until March 2006 (or possibly longer if I run for them
again and get re-elected).
Background Information
A Description of My Political Philosophy
Why have I chosen the Democratic Party? Am I an enthusiastic believer in
every element of their platform, or am I there for other reasons? In part,
I have joined the Democrats because that is my only real choice. I agree with
many of their ideals, but certainly not all. The real driving force
behind my political activity is the Republican Party. It is my fervent
opposition to some of their ideals which has driven me to the Democrats. The
Republican Party has become a haven for religious fundamentalists and has taken
a firm position in the "Culture Wars" which have been smouldering in the
United States for years. In my mind, they have taken the wrong side. Equal
rights for homosexuals and transgendered people will never happen if they
get their way. The Democrats are certainly not unified on this issue, but at
least they provide a home for those of us who would never be welcome in the
ranks of the Republicans. I wish I had some real choices in politics, but I
do not. To side with the Republicans would be to take a position against my
own basic human rights, and there is no way that I can do that. The
Democrats, overall, are less likely to attack these rights, and many within
their ranks
are important advocates for equal rights, so they are the logical choice.
One party would brand me as an evil sinner, and the other would welcome me into
its diverse ranks. Which one should I join?
As should be obvious from the previous paragraph, I favor equal rights for all.
The sentiment expressed in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States
Constitution and gradually realized by future amendments, laws, and court
decisions, is the expression of a basic human right - equal protection under
the law. No one should have special rights, and no one should be treated as
a second class citizen. According to the Constitution, all are equal, but
unfortunately in practice, some are more equal than others. This is a
situation which must change. Aside from this, I am basically a social
libertarian. In the conduct of ones personal life, one should be free from
government interference except in cases in which others would be seriously
hurt. No particular religious viewpoint should be enforced by the government;
it would seem arbitrary and capricious to those who do not share that
religious belief. When government and religion become intertwined, human
rights inevitably suffer greatly. The individual freedoms expressed in the
First Amendment are basic human rights - freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, etc. The government and the political parties must respect these,
but all too often, they try to restrict them. My belief in individual rights
expands beyond the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Contrary to popular
views within the Democratic Party, I do believe that the Second Amendment
guarantees the right to bear arms. Self-defense is a basic human right which
the government must not curtail. In an emergency, the police are seldom
immediately available, and an individual's gun can be used for good
purposes. Concealed carry of weapons, subject to permits which are issued
after training and background checks, is a very good idea. Of course, they
should not be allowed everywhere - certain secure and sensitive government
facilities should ban them, and private property owners should have the right
to ban weapons in some cases. The Republicans are closer to me on this issue,
but it does not rise to the level of other issues on which the Republicans
take an unacceptable stand.
On all-important fiscal matters, I am probably closer to the Republicans, but
not where they are now - rather, where they used to be. Traditionally, the
Republican Party is the party of fiscal responsibility, but in recent years,
they have irrevocably destroyed that image of themselves. The Democrats are,
contrary to their traditional image, coming closer to this ideal. My views
on this have not changed much, but I now find myself closer to the Democrats
because of the way that the parties have realigned themselves. Essentially,
I believe that taxes, government services, and the public debt should be held
in a healthy balance. Health care, a significant fiscal issue, should remain
in private hands to the extent
possible, but the present situation in the United States in which many people
have no health coverage at all is unacceptable. But nationalized health
systems generally work very poorly, so hopefully a better way can be found.
I would prefer a system in which universal health coverage is guaranteed, but
the industry remains mostly in private hands.
This is just a basic description of my views on certain issues. I certainly
to not fit any narrow stereotypes - I am not liberal, and I am not conservative.
It depends on the issue. I have chosen the political party which most closely
fits my political philosophy, but it must continue to earn my loyalty. If it
abandons me, I will abandon it without a second thought.
A Description of the Caucus System in Utah
The system by which political parties nominate candidates in Utah is
somewhat unusual; similar systems exist in only a few other states. Here is
how it works. Basically, it is a multi-step process in which most of the
power resides with those who become involved at the early stages.
The first step in the process is the neighborhood caucus meeting. In late
March, every two years, every voting precinct holds a caucus, or mass meeting.
Each political party holds its own meeting at a location in or near the
neighborhood. Sometimes it takes place in someone's house, and sometimes
many precincts are combined into one meeting in a public building, such as a
school. Locations are announced in the newspaper a few days before the event.
At the caucus, precinct officers and convention delegates are elected, and
of course, some fundraising takes place. Typically, each precinct will have a
chair, a vice-chair, a secretary, and a treasurer. Additionally, each one will
elect one or more delegates to the party conventions at the county and state
levels. Sometimes, the same delegates go to both conventions, and sometimes,
different people are elected to each one. It depends on the party's rules.
After the caucus, other events take place. Precinct officers may meet together
to elect officers at higher levels, such as the legislative district. Also,
additional fundraisers and central committee meetings will take place. The
second major step in the process is the county convention. This is an
opportunity for platform debates, candidate speeches, and meetings of committees
and sub-groups with certain special interests. But most importantly, the
delegates have the power to nominate candidates for political offices at the
county level and avoid a primary election. At this convention, only candidates
running for offices within the county government are considered. If a race
has only one candidate from the party, the delegates will nominate that
candidate by acclamation. But if the race is contested, the delegates will
vote on the candidates. There may be multiple rounds of voting in which they
attempt to narrow down the candidates to the top two. Finally, if one of the
candidates receives at least 60% (parties can change this number if they wish)
of the delegate vote, that candidate is
nominated by the party and a primary election is avoided. If not, then the
top two candidates go on to a primary election and the others (if any) are
eliminated. This system puts a great deal of power in the hands of a few
people, so it pays to attend the neighborhood caucus, as that is the way in at
this level.
The third step is the state convention, which takes place soon after the
county conventions. The process is essentially the same, but the convention
is larger and usually more organized. Delegates to the state convention vote
on candidates for state offices, such as legislators and the governor.
After the conventions, more meetings and fundraisers take place, and the
political campaigns heat up. The primary election is in June, and the general
election is in November. At the later stages, the voice of an individual is
diluted, because more people and more money get involved.
Finally, in the odd-numbered year, when no partisan elections take place, no
caucuses are held. County and state conventions are held, and the delegates
from the previous year attend them. In the off years, party officers are
elected. These conventions are usually less well-attended, so the voices of
those few delegates who attend are quite influential in the selection of the
party leaders.
It is a rather convoluted system, and perhaps the argument can be made that
the candidate nomination process is not entirely fair. But in my opinion, it
is fair. No one is prevented from getting involved. If a race is contested
and people feel strongly about a particular candidate, they can go to their
neighborhood caucus and elect a delegate who is committed to that candidate.
That way, their voices can be heard at the convention. If they are outnumbered
by people favoring another candidate, then the outcome is fair. The reason
that the general public has essentially no input at this stage is that few
people choose to attend. By not attending, a person effectively abstains
from the voting process until the primary election - if there is one. This is
a personal choice, and it has consequences. The neighborhood mass meeting is
an excellent way of introducing people to the process. It is open to all
registered voters, and it is a window on the inside workings of the parties.
It is perhaps the best way to the inside for people who care deeply about
certain issues or who simply want to be active in the process. For people
living in states or countries where a comparable system is in place, I strongly
recommend getting involved. Contact the local office of the political party
of your choice, and I am sure the people there understand the process and can
explain it. Your input at the early stage of the process will have far more
influence than your vote in the general election.
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Heather Harrison. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to accredited
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