As the world becomes more equal and equality is offered for all with local laws, people are starting to look beyond the outside and there's no better place to look as of November 2008 than Silverton Oregon. There, Stu Rasmussen, an open transgender was elected mayor of the city with a win of over 13 points.
Of course, there may be a few local laws that could come into the transgender issue, but the fact of the matter is that he is a registered voter, he a man with cleavage, and he is the mayor. Due to the fact that there is no local law and he has never had a transition or legally changed himself to a woman, which of course, shouldn't matter anyway, Stu Rasmussen, made sure that everyone was aware that he was a transgender. He then won the political fight with knowledge of local law, local issues, and a deep abiding love for his community. It didn't matter to him or the people who mattered whether he was a transgender or not.
As a transgender or cross-dresser in this case, Stu has had surgeries to increase his breasts, dresses in heels, dresses, and wears makeup. He is a happily partnered male with a female partner, and he enjoys dressing as a woman.
You have to wonder if this small town in Oregon is as liberal as they think they are, or if they are just using common sense or what the local laws are in this town. The fact of the matter is this transgender individual beat his opponent with care and knowledge. It didn't matter that he was a transgender, he had what it took to be mayor.
Stu Rasmussen has been there and is doing his job, while the rest of the country is looking into local laws, or busy trying to enact local laws because of fear, prejudice and ignorance. This small town in Oregon has more common sense than most when they can overlook the way someone dresses or how their body looks and look beneath that to the person inside to find a good leader for their community. They do not waste time with redundant local laws. .
In order to avoid any problems with the elections Rasmussen came out of the closet, dressed the way he wanted, and entered a political arena as a transgender. Because of his courage to make sure there was nothing in his past that someone would bring up that they didn't already know, the man is looked up to in a variety of different communities across the nation.
While other small towns have trouble understanding this small town in Oregon and may be scrambling to prevent it's happening with local laws, those in this small town are proud, supportive, and would probably vote for Stu Rasmussen the transgender again.
It not only took courage for Stu Rasmussen's to step out into the limelight with all of his personal choices in the front, but also, it took courage for community to not scramble to enact local laws against this. In fact, people should take notice, no money was wasted on trying to enact local laws to avoid having a transgender as the mayor. It not only saved money, but it also got the town the mayor of their choice and there are still no local laws against it.