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ELIZABETH WEILL-GREENBERG
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Dana Beyer knew when she was 7 years old that her genitalia didn’t match her mindset. Beyer, born a male, revealed her feelings to her parents when she was 12.
"They threatened to have me institutionalized because they were scared," said Beyer, now 54. "My parents shut down. They told me not to say anything again."
She only told those closest to her until her decision to transition to female after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I reached a point where I was chronically suicidal," she said.
Beyer said she told her ex-wife and second wife she was really a woman shortly after meeting them.
"I haven’t kept secrets from my intimate partners," she said.
But, she added, "I never wrote anything down. I was afraid someone would see it. I was very scared."
"Before my transition I was ashamed of who I was," she said. "I was afraid to go out and speak out. I was afraid of being humiliated and ignored."
When Beyer finally decided to make the transition, her second wife decided they needed to divorce because she didn’t want to be with a woman.
"It was a tragic back-handed compliment," said Beyer, who identifies as bisexual. "She recognized I was a woman."
Once she transitioned in January 2003, Beyer shunned her past of feeling terrified and became involved in transgender and gay rights activism. Beyer joined the Equality Maryland board of directors and the National Center for Transgender Equality’s board of advisers. And now Beyer is running for the Maryland House of Delegates from District 18.
"Rather than sit around and complain or talk about it, it’s time for me to stand up," she said. "District 18 is ready for women like me."
Gay rights issues, like equal marriage rights and expanding the state’s employment discrimination law to protect transgender people, will top Beyer’s agenda. As a physician, universal health care is also a high priority for Beyer.
"We’re just really excited to have a member of our board running for public office," said Larry Jacobs, former president of Equality Maryland’s Board of Directors. "[Her candidacy] is putting a human face on some of the issues that are so important to us and members of our community."
Beyer’s family also welcomed the news. Her 18-year-old son, Jonathan, said he plans to help out, going door-to-door and stuffing envelopes. Beyer told her son she was transgender when he was 3 years old. He always accepted it. When he was about four, he walked past a store with his mom and suggested she buy a pretty dress in the window, he recalled.
"It’s never been an issue for me," he said.
Since her transition, Jonathan said, Beyer "smiles a lot more than she used to."
Making history
If Beyer is elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, she will be the first openly transgender person to serve in state office, according to gay rights activists. In 2004, the Victory Fund endorsed two transgender candidates who both lost their election bid. Amanda Simpson ran for the Arizona state house, and Robert Haaland ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Two trans people hold local political offices such as city council seats, said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.
"There seems to be more [transgender people] deciding to run," said Robin Brand, senior vice president of politics and strategy at the Victory Fund. "We are an organization that will support breakthrough races."
The Victory Fund will review Beyer’s application for endorsement in June. Even if the candidate isn’t a "slam-dunk" win, it’s still important to support the campaign, Brand said.
Despite Beyer’s activism she still may have an uphill battle to win the Democratic primary, said Rich Madaleno, District 18’s current delegate who is giving up the seat to run for state Senate.
Several candidates have already emerged in the race, including Alfred Carr, a Kensington councilmember. Beyer said Oscar Ramirez, who works for U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), and state Sen. Sharon Grosfeld’s son, Noah, also are considering running for the seat.
Beyer’s lack of experience in party and local politics may hurt her campaign, said Madaleno. She is not well known within District 18, and she doesn’t know the nitty-gritty issues such as "pedestrian safety concerns on Georgia Avenue," he said.
When Beyer ran in a special election in October to replace John A. Hurson in the House of Delegates, she lost to a candidate who had Democratic Party experience and held civic group positions — Jane Lawton.
If elected, there are other challenges for Beyer that her competitors won’t face, Madaleno said. As the only openly transgender person in the state House of Delegates, she likely will have to educate her colleagues and constituents.
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