EX TENEBRIS CRESCIT FLOS
MORE POLITICS
Meetings and Conventions
July 11, 2004
The Democratic Party in Utah held its county and state conventions in April and
May. I attended both. Although I have attended such events in the past, it
felt like everything was new this time around because this is the first time I
have attended as a woman.
At the Salt Lake County convention, I attended the Stonewall Caucus meeting,
listened to a lot of speeches, and voted in a contested race for County Mayor.
Many of the candidates came by the caucus meeting to try to attract votes from
the GLBT (gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender) community. There were enough of
us there that we filled the caucus room. This made it impossible for
candidates to ignore us. For a historically oppressed minority group, it is
nice to receive some positive attention for once. The convention itself was
about as such events always are - a lot of speeches which can become tiresome
after a while. There was one important difference, however, between this
convention and others I attended in the past. Turnout was very high, and the
energy level was unlike anything I had ever seen. Recent leadership changes
within the party may be one reason, but the primary motivator appears to be
our common enemy - George W. Bush.
The state convention, two weeks later, was like a much larger version of the
county convention. I have never seen anything like it; the convention center
seemed packed full of people, and the energy level was amazing. We all seemed
to be united by our distaste for the current occupant of the White House. In
addition to the usual convention business, we selected national officers and
delegates for the Democratic Party. There were so many people who wanted these
positions that it was a difficult decision.
There was one little protest. We decided in the Stonewall Caucus meeting to
stage a protest against Jim Matheson, the current U.S. House member from Utah's
Second District. He, unfortunately, favors the federal amendment to the
U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. We put "Don't Amend" stickers on
our backs and stood up and turned our backs on him while he gave his speech.
This protest got some notice in the local press. I was quite surprised when,
during the caucus meetings the evening before the convention speeches,
Matheson showed up to the Stonewall Caucus meeting. He obviously faced a
hostile crowd in the room, and his comeback to the hard questions we asked
him was not very convincing. Although he is a Democrat, and I usually vote
for Democrats, I am considering voting for a third party in the general
election; my conscience may not let me vote for Matheson. He could have taken
a position against same-sex marriage without supporting the amendment, and I
could have accepted that (for now), but in supporting the amendment, he has
gone too far. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution is extremely difficult
to repeal at a later date; adopting this amendment now would effectively
make this decision for many future generations - it is a supremely stupid
idea.
At the conventions, I did not make a huge deal out of being a transsexual,
but neither did I deny it. As I talked with a few candidates, I told them of
my "unusual" nature, and I got very favorable responses. Of course, this may
not necessarily translate into action if these politicians are faced with
difficult decisions, but at least they are not hostile (or are not willing to
admit that they are). My presence at the conventions helps to show the
politicians that transgendered people do exist, and that we care enough about
our community to get involved in politics. Perhaps if more of us show up at
such events, or become politically involved in other ways, we will begin to
get some attention.
In addition to talking with politicians, I met with other delegates. None
seemed to either notice or be bothered by the fact that I am transgendered.
I even ran into my favorite teacher from junior high school. I certainly
have changed a lot since I was in her classes! Still, she had no problem with
my change. Tolerance is a value that many of us who attended the convention
share. I wish it was a value that was more universal in society, but we
still have a lot of work to do in that area.
The conventions are now over, but activities will continue. As a precinct
chair, I am a member of the county central committee. Since the conventions,
there has been one central committee meeting, and there will be another in a
few days. These will be the meetings that organize our efforts to win
elections in November. I intend to contribute to the best of my abilities.
Note added April 3, 2005: The campaign season came and went, and
unfortunately due to a heavy work schedule I was unable to do a great deal
of political work. But the convention season is about to start for this
year so I will be able to get back into it.
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