Historic First Win for Openly Transgender Candidate in Hawaii

By -
November 8, 2006

Kim Coco Iwamoto Wins State-Level Board of Education Seat
Iwamoto is the First Openly Transgender Person Elected to a
State-Level Office in the US

(Washington, DC) — Yesterday's mid-term elections marked a historic first in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) movement for equality and civic engagement. With a comfortable victory garnering 81,532 votes, attorney Kim Coco Iwamoto was elected to Hawaii's state-level Board of Education (Oahu-at-Large), a non-partisan office. Ms. Iwamoto, an openly transgender woman, is a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality's (NCTE) Board of Advisors. Iwamoto holds a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law, is a volunteer guardian ad litem for the First Circuit Family Court, and is a frequent speaker at high schools and colleges on civil rights issues and community service.

"This is a truly historic win and marks an important first in the American political landscape, said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "Kim Coco Iwamoto is an outstanding individual with a long history of pro bono legal work and volunteerism benefiting her home state. She will serve the people of Hawaii well."

There are currently only a limited number of openly transgender elected officials serving in the US and around the world. In the United States, Michelle Bruce serves on the City Council in Riverdale, GA and Jessica Orsini serves as an Alderman in Centralia, MO. There are also dozens of other openly transgender appointed public officials across the U.S. New Zealand's Georgina Beyer has served in Parliament since 1999; Aya Kamikawa was elected as a municipal official in Tokyo, Japan; Vladimir Luxuria was recently elected to Italy's Parliament.
..
As public education efforts aimed at ending misconceptions and prejudice against transgender individuals advance, more and more transgender people feel safe and comfortable living their lives openly. Concerned with the betterment of the country's economy, educational system, health care and security, candidates who also happen to be transgender are running for—and winning—political office.

To read more about Board of Education Member, Oahu-At-Large, Kim Coco Iwamoto, please visit her campaign Web site at www.kimcoco.com.


National Center for Transgender Equality
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
email: ncte@nctequality.org
phone: 202-903-0112
web: http://www.nctequality.org
I am a natural born female lightworker with love for M2F transwomen. We are connected by the spirit of femininity and bonds of sisterhood.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Congradulations to Ms. Iwamoto.

Joy Carter
TransAmerican
December 02, 2006 2:08 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Son Wears My Clothes

By -
Image
“Mom can I go through your make-up drawers and take some stuff you’re not using anymore?” “Mom can I borrow some of your clothes?” “Mom does my hair look all right?” “Mom do you have any shoes that would fit me?” “Mom do these clothes look good together?” These are some of the questions I have been asked over the years from not my daughter, but my teenage son. When he was growing up I missed all the signs that my son could possibly be transgendered. Perhaps it’s because I am such an open person and always tried to encourage my kids to be who ever they wanted to be and to follow their dreams. I have never hid my trans friends from them. I wanted them to grow up accepting everyone and I believe I have accomplished that task. They thought nothing of coming home from school and finding me and a bunch of tgirls sitting in the living room gabbing. They were never embarrassed to invite their friends over were mine were there. Even when they were old enough to make choices for themselves, they
Read more

CD/TV/TS labelling

By -
(by Michele Angelique) There seems to be some controversy in the transgender community as to the usage and meaning of labels such as CD/TV/TS. I'm unsure how this labelling is beneficial, but I've seen many instances where it divides people and puts the community at odds with itself. While clothing and make-up do not make a woman, some men cross-dress as an outward expression of that which they admire most. What I truly appreciate are those men who strive to do credit to the feminine gender because they love women, whether manifested as occasional cross-dressing or by varying stages of gender transformation. A number of TS women have opined that cross-dressers don’t deserve to be called “she” because CDs are not on hormones or altering their physical body to become female. I disagree with this view because it is incredibly challenging to come out of the closet, even if simply in cross-dressing form. I would venture that it is not often a decision made lightly, and to do so a pe
Read more

Transgenderism is a Gift!

By -
Image
(by Michele Angelique) In rebuttal of the article "Receipt, Please?" by Helen Boyd, which criticizes use of the term "gender gifted", I wish to offer a differing perspective on the transgender phenomenon. I have a great deal of regard for Helen Boyd, and highly respect all that she has done and is continuing to do, for the transgender community. Yet in response to her view that transgenderism is an "insane state of affairs", her comparison of transgenderism to a disease like cancer, and point of "asking them to consider it a gift would more likely end up perverting the meaning of the word ‘gift’", I must respectfully object. Her perception that "transness, more often than not, is a kind of niggling annoyance (at least) when it’s ignored, or a major disruption, or, at worst, leads to straight-up tragedy. That’s not to say there aren’t positive things that can come out of transness for the transperson and the partner - of course there are. B
Read more