I attended the precinct caucus meeting for the Democratic Party tonight. Naturally, I was the only person from my precinct to show up. This shows the level of involvement that people have in politics these days.

By a vote of 1 to 0, I elected myself delegate to the state and county conventions, and precinct chair (which makes me a member of the county central committee). These positions are two-year terms. So now there is a little transgender representation in the Democratic Party of Utah.

I have been a delegate twice before, but never in my chosen gender. I have never been precinct chair (I didn't want to volunteer for that in the past). This will be an interesting experience.

Here is a short explanation of how the system works in Utah. It is somewhat unique, but I believe a few other states follow a similar pattern. In March, caucus meetings are held at the voting precinct level. At these meetings, precinct officers (chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer) are elected, election judges are nominated, and delegates to the county and state conventions are elected. County and state party leaders are elected by the convention delegates. Perhaps most importantly, the first round in the process of nominating candidates for office takes place at the conventions. All competing candidates compete for delegate votes at the convention. If one candidate gets 60% of the vote, that candidate is nominated by the party and there is no primary. If no one reaches this level of support, a primary election between the top two candidates is held in June. So becoming a convention delegate allows a person a good deal of power over the nominating process and very good access to candidates. Caucus meetings are often so poorly attended that a person can often walk in and grab a delegate or precinct officer position without opposition, as I did this time.

I encourage people in states with similar systems to get involved at this level. Your voice is much louder at the early stage of the process than it is at the general election. The best way to get involved is to contact the local office of the political party. They can explain how the system works in your state or country.

I will post updates as I attend meetings and engage in political activities in the future. I intend to do all I can to fulfill the duties of these (admittedly rather lowly) elected positions.

Heather H.

In Utah (except for some isolated areas, such as Salt Lake City and Carbon County), the Democrats are a fringe party. But I doubt I can do any more damage than has already been done. The dominant Mormon culture has entirely turned against the Democrats because of numerous other moral and social issues. I am forced into the Democratic Party primarily because the Utah Republican Party is the Mormon Party, and they certainly would not want me there.

I actually like much of what the Libertarians stand for. On social issues and gun rights, I am basically with them. However, while their extremely-small-government stance sounds good, I don't think it is practical - they take it too far. I am afraid they would gut environmental regulations which protect all of us, and they would probably sell off public lands to the highest bidder and "No Trespassing" signs would go up all over Utah, and corporations would likely be free to do whatever they please, no matter how damaging.

If the Libertarians actually believe in personal freedom as much as they say they do, then they should accept you without a problem; that would be an interesting test. Perhaps the next time I go to a gun show (I will probably attend the next big one so that I can take a concealed-carry class), I will visit the Libertarian booth and see how they are.

Heather H.

There are a number of small parties here, including the Libertarians. Many of these little parties are quite daft - entertaining to hear about, but I wouldn't want to associate with them. The small parties have absolutely no influence here, so I don't want to waste my time with them. The Democrats don't have much influence either, but they have a little influence on a statewide basis and significant influence in certain localities (Salt Lake City [too cosmopolitan for the Republicans], Park City [an expensive place loaded with liberal yuppies and skiers], Moab [full of liberals who like outdoor activities and wine], Carbon County [rural and conservative, but a coal-mining area with high union activity], Ogden [an old union-oriented railroad city], and some others). It makes for an interesting mix of liberal yuppies, freaks, gay people (including an openly-gay woman in the legislature), and old-time union conservatives who like guns. I don't agree fully with any of these groups, but I find some agreement with all of them.

I hope that I can be a good representative for transsexuals in the Democratic Party. I have some personality tendencies that should help. First and foremost, I am rather non-confrontational; I don't like to cause a scene if I don't have to. At my core, I am more of a diplomat than an activist, and therefore less threatening. Also, I dress well and in a fairly conservative, business-like fashion at work, and I intend to dress the same way at party meetings. Dress can be important to people; if I put on a good, non-threatening, business-like look, I tend to get good results. Many people who don't know any of us think that we are a bunch of freaks let loose on the world by the Jerry Springer show, and I intend to challenge that stereotype.

Sometimes if you can find some friends in a political group, it makes it easier to get inside, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I would recommend that you try to make some friends there, but if that doesn't work out, just go alone. For a first meeting, I don't think that I would recommend bringing a lot of other trannies with you; that many trannies might cause a mental overload. I recommend dressing well and behaving in a respectable manner, so that you eliminate any of the "Jerry Springer" stereotypes that people may have. If you bring any other trannies with you, make sure they are not the types to cause trouble, or you will likely be discredited. If the Libertarians are true to their beliefs, they should accept you and any other trannies; it would be interesting to test them.

Heather H.

I have allowed myself to be sucked into another role. There was an election tonight for party officers for Legislative District 37. I didn't want to be chair or vice-chair; fortunately, others wanted those positions. I volunteered to be secretary for this district, and no one else ran against me (maybe they were smart). In this activity, I will be keeping a database of active Democrats in the district and try to inform them of activities and candidates, and I will help the chair and vice-chair as much as possible.

I guess I will find out if it was a good idea to volunteer for this.

Heather H.

The Salt Lake County Democratic Convention was today. It went very well. The convention was very well-attended; perhaps distaste for the idiot in the White House is pushing people to get involved. The Stonewall Democrats caucus meeting attracted a standing room only crowd and most of the candidates for office dropped by the meeting. It is encouraging to see that candidates see the GLBT community as a constituency whose votes they need to court.

Many primary elections were avoided. Importantly, the race for County Mayor had two excellent candidates, but the delegates were able to unite around one candidate with 70% of the vote, thereby avoiding an expensive primary election. I am glad I was able to vote in this contest. Also, the only openly gay member of the Utah Legislature was renominated overwhelmingly after a challenge. Out of all the county races, only one Senate district was left with a primary battle.

As an added bonus, I wasn't the only tranny there. One of my TS friends was also a convention delegate, so I wasn't alone.

Now I can look forward to the state convention in two weeks. It will be interesting to see how many people show up there; I bet it will be very well attended.

Heather H.

Acceptance is slow in coming. I may see some acceptance within the Democratic Party, but if I had chosen to go into the Republican Party as an openly transgendered person, I am sure I would not be very welcome.

This weekend (May 7 and 8), the Utah Democratic Party held their State Convention. Located in the Salt Palace Convention Center, it filled the place with about 3000 people. It was the biggest convention I have seen. Hatred of Bush, as well as new leadership within the state party, seem to have helped boost turnout.

On Friday evening, there were caucus meetings, voting on delegates to the national convention, and a party. On Saturday, there were a lot of political speeches, voting on contested races, and voting on national committee members and more national delegates. We even sent an 18-year-old girl to the national convention; it is nice to see someone that young who cares. Maybe she can bring some new energy to the party.

There was one little protest event. Unfortunately, Jim Matheson, the only Democratic congressman from Utah, supports the federal constitutional amendment against marriage equality. To me, and to many of us, that is an unacceptable stand. He actually had the nerve to come to the Stonewall Caucus meeting, and he seemed quite uncomfortable and nervous. He obviously knew he was facing a hostile audience. During his convention speech, members and allies of the Stonewall Caucus had stickers reading "Don't Amend" on our backs, and we stood and turned our backs on him. I hated to have to do that, as he is generally good on many issues, but we have to make a point. He probably thought he needed to take that stand in order to win in Utah, but by alienating a substantial part of his base, he may lose volunteer and financial support, which could hurt him in the end. Last time, he won by only a few thousand votes. He could have taken a stand against gay marriage without favoring a change to the federal constitution, and we could still have supported him. Barring the passage of that abominable amendment, this issue will be won or lost in the courts anyway.

I had the opportunity to talk to a few candidates and elected officials, which is always a good thing. For example, how many of us have the opportunity to talk to our State Senator? I met him at the party on Friday night. As an openly transgendered person, I did not run into problems with people; I met with general acceptance. I even ran into my 6th and 7th Grade English teacher, and she did not appear to be bothered (or terribly surprised) at my big change. It is amazing how many people from my past I run into at these events.

I also bought a few political buttons and bumper stickers. The anti-Bush ones were especially funny. Here are some of the sayings on them.

"When Clinton Lied, Nobody Died."
"Somewhere in Texas, a Village is Missing its Idiot."
"Dump Dubya"
"I Refuse to Vote for a Son of a Bush."
"Banana Republicans - Indecision 2000."
"Chad Happens - Indecision 2000."

...and many others. Most of them were made by Tigereye Design; their website can be found here: [URL]http://www.tigereyedesign.com{/URL] - Look there to find a lot of entertaining ones.

Now, with the conventions over, the real work begins. My political journey, which started at a George Bush campaign rally in 1988, has taken from one party to the other, as the one with which I had originally cast my lot attacked me and people like me again and again until I had finally had enough. My response to the Republicans is, in the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "Of Course, you know, This Means War!" The Republicans have declared war on my rights, and I intend to fight back. I am now a fully committed Democrat, and I proudly advertise that fact on the bumper of my truck.

As Precinct Chair and Legislative District Secretary, I will do my best to get other people in my area involved. I have already begun the process of compiling a list of names of active and likely Democrats, and I will use this list to send out information (primarily by Snail Mail) and to pass on names to Democratic candidates. In Utah, it is an uphill battle, but in my local area, Democrats have a chance; they even currently hold the State House and Senate seats, and the U.S. House seat (although, unfortunately, by Jim Matheson), in my area. Jim's brother Scott (who is better on GLBT issues) is running for governor, and he may have a chance; his father was one of the most popular governors in Utah history, and the name recognition will help. (It will also help that the Republican incumbent, who is popular with independent voters, got knocked out in their convention.) I know we won't win all, or even most, of our races in this conservative state, but I believe we have the potential to make gains. The slate of Democratic candidates is better than I have seen in years, so there is actually something worth working for this time around.

This will be a continuing story and I will continue to update it here. Now that I am a committed party activist, I am in this for the long haul; even after the two-year term of my current positions is up, I will stay involved, either by running for these positions again, or by finding some other way to help. This tranny will definitely not go away as long as there is a Republican to defeat.

Heather H.

1 to 0? Wow, I hope you didn't have to resort to negative campaign ads. LOL

I've been tempted to show up at a Libertarian meeting in feminine mode, as an openly trans person, just to see how accepting they really are. Of course, the two major parties love to claim that minor parties attract fringe members, and I'd hate to think I'd be damaging a group that I actually support. So far, that reality and personal fear have kept me from acting on that impulse, but it's always a possibility.

Heather, while we're aligned with different parties, I commend your actions. If you want something done right (or left), you have to do it yourself, especially when it comes to politics!

Hmm... I was about to say that the Libertarians don't go far enough...

The two main areas where I disagree with the Libertarian Party's platform are aborton and the role of the military, but that's better than any other party I know. I can see why you went with the Democrats in your state, but are there any other parties there? Just curious.

I would love to test the local Libertarians. Maybe if I make some friends in my local group, I can get a couple to go with me. On the other hand, that might cause too much of a scene. Solo might be better. What do you think?

Two trannies in positions of responsibility? Uh-oh. If you aren't careful, people might start thinking that trannies are regular people!