Transgender and Gender Variant Candidates and Elected Officials Around the World Logan S
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STANDING OUT Transgender and Gender Variant Candidates and Elected Officials Around the World Logan S. Casey Andrew Reynolds OUT TO WIN Logan S. Casey Andrew Reynolds Logan Casey is a doctoral candidate in the Andrew Reynolds is a Professor of Political Science University of Michigan’s Department of Political at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Science. His research focuses on prejudice, public Hill. He received his M.A. from the University opinion, and political psychology in American of Cape Town and his Ph.D. from the University politics, with a particular focus on sexuality and of California, San Diego. He is the director of the gender. His dissertation examines the influence of UNC LGBTQ Representation and Rights Research disgust in LGBT politics, and the consequences for Initiative. His research and teaching focus on opinion formation and persuasion. democratization, constitutional design, and Since 2013, he has served on the Ann Arbor Human electoral politics. He is particularly interested Rights Commission, where he worked to overhaul in the presence and impact of minorities and and update the city’s non-discrimination ordinance, marginalized communities. He has worked for particularly in the areas of sexuality and gender the United Nations, the International Institute for identity. The revisions were successfully passed Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the UK in October 2014. He also serves on the Board of Department for International Development, the Directors for the local LGBT community center. US State Department, the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, He is a recipient of the Garth Taylor Dissertation the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Fellowship in Public Opinion, a two-time recipient Europe (OSCE), and the International Foundation of the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford for Election Systems. In 2015, he authored Fellowship and Scholarship, and part of the Equality The Arab Spring: Pathways of Repression and Research Center’s 2015-2016 Speaker Series and Reform (Oxford) with Jason Brownlee and Tarek Photo Caption Equality Knowledge Project. Masoud. His forthcoming book is, The Children of Harvey Milk: How LGBTQ Politicians Changed the World (Oxford). Prepared in 2015 for the LGBTQ Representation and Rights Initiative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cover image: Background photo by Jarle Refsnes (used with modifications) Layout & design by Carolina Union Design Services 2 Foreword TABLE OF CONTENTS We are deeply grateful to the academics, into established governance structures and offers 3 Foreword advocates, activists, and politicians who helped role models to inspire future generations. It opens 7 Definitions us conceptualize this research project, craft our doors for further visibility and representation of questions, and gather data. This has been a truly transgender people, not just in the formal halls of 8 Scope of Research collaborative project born of a desire to learn and government, but also in the daily lives and fabric 10 Context provide a baseline “state-of-play” for trans* politics of a society. and to offer a benchmark for future scholars 19 The Data What is the evidence that descriptive as the study of transgender politics and rights 27 Conclusion & Acknowledgements develops. Before we put pen to paper, a broad representation—the presence of members community helped us develop our research design of a particular community in political office— 28 References improves life for the represented community? and questions. These individuals are acknowledged 29 Appendix 1: (Some) Literature on at the end of the report, but we owe a particular Marginalized groups have long benefitted from Transgender Rights & Politics debt of gratitude to Paisley Currah, Mara Kiesling, descriptive representation. Growing numbers of women in office change the way we think 30 Appendix 2: Transgender and Gender and Ken Sherrill, each of whom met with us and Variant Candidates provided invaluable advice. about women and gender in politics, as well as what policies are supported or advanced We focus on one aspect of transgender visibility by a legislative body (Wolbrecht & Campbell and progress toward legal and social justice: 2007; Karpowitz & Mendelberg 2014). Similarly, electoral politics. Elections are just one piece racial and ethnic minority legislators give a of the puzzle of how change happens and how face and a voice to outsider and institutionally rights are advanced—but they are a crucial piece. disadvantaged communities, often changing The presence of transgender and gender variant perceptions of the represented group in the people in public office does more than give process (Broockman 2013; Chauchard 2014). the community an authentic voice in political Indeed, such political visibility for gays and decision-making. It incorporates trans* people lesbians has been key to progress in gay rights 3 around the world—the gay experience, while where we live. But in this mix, the payoff of a far from identical, is a parallel experience and few nationally recognized political leaders, who 1977 - 2015 thus useful history for scholars and transgender happen to be gay and open about it, is crucial. activists alike. There is also evidence to suggest that the INDIVIDUALS When it comes to sexual orientation, it is no transformative effects of knowing a gay person shock to learn that knowing someone who is apply within the world of media and fiction. As 26 gay can change the way people think about viewers become attached to gay characters on sexuality and gay rights. Indeed, the number TV, their attitudes begin to change. In his 2012 of Americans who support same-sex marriage book, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make in the United States has tracked closely with Us Human, Jonathan Gottschall noted: the number of people who say they know a gay or lesbian person. While this phenomenon …When we are absorbed in fiction, we form FROM 30 is clearly important, openly gay and lesbian judgments about the characters exactly as COUNTRIES elected officials have a surprisingly large effect we do with real people, and extend those on legislation and attitudes, above and beyond judgments to the generalizations we make RUNNING IN the influence of contact. Though the direct about groups. When straight viewers watch link between descriptive representation and likeable gay characters on shows like Will and policy change is often murky and tenuous, Grace, Modern Family, Glee, and Six Feet Under there is powerful evidence to show that openly they come to root for them, to empathize with gay representatives—members of parliament, them—and this seems to shape their attitudes 209 senators, state legislators, mayors, and toward homosexuality in the real world. Studies councillors—have a dramatic impact on the indicate that watching television with gay- RACES progress of gay rights in their countries, states, friendly themes lessens viewer prejudice, with and towns (Haider-Markel 2010; Reynolds 2013). stronger effects for more prejudiced viewers. AND The connection between having even a single out gay representative and policy change— In recent years, the visibility of transgender people BEING from Washington to London, Mexico City to in American television and media has grown Kathmandu—is clear. Of course, other things ELECTED TIMES noticeably. In the popular Netflix series Orange 72 matter as well, including evolving social norms is the New Black, Laverne Cox, a transgender and values, democratizing trends, increasingly woman of color herself, plays an incarcerated savvy and strategic advocates for change, and transwoman named Sophia Burset. In 2014, the rise of positive role models in the spaces Cox also became the first transgender woman 4 featured on the cover of Time Magazine. Similarly, legitimacy, value, and dignity of trans* peoples’ the Amazon show Transparent was widely lauded lives and political claims. by critics and audiences for its portrayal of a transgender woman coming out to her adult We are very aware that this initial data collection children and transitioning later in life. The show and analysis only represent the tip of an iceberg won multiple Golden Globes and Emmys for its when it comes to understanding the lives and first season, including for best television series. experiences of transgender people around the Beyond fiction, Janet Mock, a transgender woman world. Politics is merely one sphere. Health, of color, is a writer, advocate, and social and media housing, legal, educational, prison, and policing commentator. Her memoir Redefining Realness systems structure the lives of transgender people was a best seller in 2014, and she now hosts her in just as, if not more so, consequential ways. own show on MSNBC. These are just some of The minutiae of life are heightened as a trans* the many and growing representations of trans* person: the smallest task, from filling out a form people in the media. to going to the bathroom, becomes magnified and imbued with an excess of meaning, risk, and However, while representations of transgender vulnerability. There is so much work to be done to people in the media are increasing, this report better understand trans* people and trans* lives. shows that transgender leaders remain effectively Some of that work will be rooted in social science, invisible in public office. This lack of visibility and that is what we hope here to engender. At the is consistent with other findings that show,