Transgender Sitting City Council Woman Attacked in Unfounded Lawsuit

Submitted by Sasha on 2007, November 26 - 9:57pm
Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionMichelle Bruce

In Southern Voice, an Atlanta LGBT friendly newspaper, is an article titled
Transgender candidate accused of fraud in election lawsuit
In the Atlanta Journal and Constitution is both an article and a poll:
Transgender candidate misled voters, suit alleges

This concerns an incumbant transgender councilwoman running for re-election and a lawsuit filed to contest the election for both contested city council seats.


The Associated Press provides a video concerning the story: Did transgender candidate mislead?  While other media is focusing in on the fact that Michelle Bruce is named in the lawsuit, local media outlets like Clayton News Daily reveal in its article, Unsuccessful candidates sue to overturn election, that the lawsuit to be sour grapes by defeated candidates and a lawyer seeking to rob the city in revenge for being denied an appointment as City Judge. Not only is Michelle Bruce targeted by the lawsuit but also the other leading candidate for another council post.

The best thing I can say about this is 'Don't Panic!' Michelle is under attack mainly becasue she is white in a predominantly black city. This suit is frivalous becasue it misrepresents the facts, so it will go down. Riverdale, where Michelle has been a sitting city council member for 4 years, is a southern suberb of Atlanta.

The City of Atlanta has had, for a while now, a antidiscrimination ordinance which includes gender expression. Dekalb County, the other area of Atlanta inside the perimeter also has an antidiscrimination ordinance in place.

Georgia has very favorable laws concerning documentation for Transpeople. A Georgia native can by court order have their original birth certificate sealed and a new one issued with altered name and gender following SRS. Prior to SRS any current Georgian can have the gender marker changed to female on documentation like drivers license by court order (and this can be accomplished at the same time as a name change).

Believe me, as a native Atlantan, this situation is more about 'politics as usual' than gender identity. All the sore losers have done by placing this suit is to make it easier for the next transgender candidate to come to office in the Metro Atlanta Area. After all this time, Atlanta is still the 'City too busy to hate'! I know many of the people the So Vo article reports that are in Michelle's corner. They are very capable people and will be doing their best for a good outcome in this matter.

All my hopes,
Sasha Nexus

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Epilog

Submitted by Sasha on 2007, December 29 - 1:00pm.
In the end result of the Runoff, Michelle was defeated. Her numbers did not show any defection from the base that voted for her the first time. However it appeared that all those who did not vote for her the first time, voted for her opponent. This too was politics as usual. Having Michelle fielding red herring questions regarding the suit instead of being heard for her plan to bring prosperity and jobs to Riverdale which needs an influx of new buisnesses and people to the community. As I suspected, the suit was thrown out like other red herring suits and there was a precedent set that such tactics will not overturn an election. I wish that there was some way for this kind of behavior of submitting red herring lawsuits would stop. Unfortunatly it continues becasue it is politically effective to turn the debate to a red herring topic. All my hopes, Sasha Nexus http://stardustr.us/blog/sasha

All my hopes,
Ariel Montine