Dec 14, 2007  |  By: JOSHUA LYNSEN  | COMMENTS     

A transgender woman dropped her bid this week to succeed a Maryland state legislator who died.

Dana Beyer, who was among seven Montgomery County residents seeking to replace Democratic Del. Jane Lawton, withdrew from the race Sunday, two days before party officials named a local politician as Lawton’s successor.

“It was clear to me that I wasn’t going to be selected,” she told the Blade. “I work in political circles. Word gets around. It’s not hard to discern.”

Beyer said she was “not really free to say” what she learned or was told to indicate the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee would not choose her to replace Lawton.

But some observers said Beyer, who works for Montgomery County Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg and helped pass a measure last month that bars discrimination against transgender people, was hindered by her distinction as a transgender woman.

“I think it’s hard to deny that there isn’t at least some component of trans phobia in this situation,” said Scott Davenport, president of Equality Montgomery County.

Davenport said the Central Committee has a “very clear” preference for candidates that are “least likely to make waves.” If appointed, Beyer would have been the nation’s first transgender state lawmaker.

“I don’t believe this is 100 percent about trans phobia,” he said, “but I do believe this is about lack of political courage.”

Milton Minneman, a Central Committee spokesperson, said the organization was not concerned that Beyer is transgender.

“The Central Committee as a whole is certainly supportive of any gender designation and has no biases against anybody who is GLBT,” he said. “We have no reason why someone who is GLBT should not be elected to any body or government.”

Committee members chose Al Carr, a Kensington town council member, as Lawton’s successor during a Dec. 11 meeting. There was no public vote.

Other candidates were Fredric Cooper, a community development professional; George English, a retired economist and Democratic activist; Rick Kessler, a government relations professional whose brother was gay; and Rosalyn Woodward Pelles, a civil rights and labor advocate.

Oscar Ramirez, a Central Committee member, was an early candidate who later withdrew his application.

Beyer said her favored candidate among the five who remained was Carr. He, like Beyer, last year lost a formal campaign to become a state delegate.

“He’s the only person left who has actually faced the voters,” she said, “with all due respect to everyone else.”

Among the eight Democratic House candidates who last year competed for three District 18 seats, Beyer placed fifth with 12 percent of the vote. Carr placed seventh with 8 percent of the 41,500 votes cast.

‘Not going anywhere’

Beyer, who last week told the Blade that her distinction as a transgender woman “isn’t an issue and it shouldn’t be an issue” in the race, said she still faced an uphill battle.

“Being the first at anything is difficult,” she said. “This is a recurrent motif in American politics.”

Beyer said she was highly qualified for the seat because she’s a retired physician and has policy experience, but “the fact that I have an unusual gender history still ranks high in people’s minds.”

“When people finally accept me as an older female physician with political skills and leadership skills, then I will have accomplished my goal,” she said. “That day is obviously not today, but it might not be too far in the future.”

Beyer noted that she still considers herself eligible for Maryland’s next legislative election in 2010.

“You really can’t plan that far ahead because life can change drastically in a second,” she said. “So it’s hard to be precise on this, but it’s not a stretch to say I’m not going anywhere and I will stay in the mix.”

Joshua Lynsen can be reached at jlynsen@washblade.com.