We Need LGBTQIA Public Officials At Every Level — But Representation Isn't Enough

As we as marginalized people continue to fight for representation at every level of office, it’s getting more apparent that having a seat at the table isn’t enough to create change or protect our rights. Peyton O’Conner, the first openly trans woman in a North Carolina school board, resigned this week after experiencing what’s been described as rampant transphobia ever since she joined the board in March 2021. “On the surface, it appears is attacking me, but I am merely an easy vessel and a target to allow him to wedge a political divide that will ultimately whittle away at the thin layers of protections we have for our queer students, staff, and family,” O’Conner wrote in her letter of resignation to the Board, which she also posted on Facebook. “I can’t in good conscience give him the foothold and I believe that stepping away may give him less of an opportunity to sow divisiveness.” According to O’Conner’s Facebook post, the ADF’s strategy was to harass her so much that the board would have no choice but to censor or limit Gates’ ability to speak at meetings. It’s concerning to think that as more trans and queer people earn positions in office — a record number of LGBTQ candidates won their midterm races last month in what was deemed a “rainbow wave” — hate groups are also getting more sophisticated in the ways they try to blot them out.