SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - If Robert Haaland wins a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Nov. 2, he will be make history as the nation's first transgender elected official.
An activist who once sued city police for groping him to determine his gender identity, the 40-year old Haaland was born and raised as a female in Austin, MN. He declared himself a lesbian at age 20 and began to identify as a man after attending the University of California, Berkeley and Hastings Law School.
While transgender candidates have run for office in San Francisco and never won, Haaland is considered a front-running Democrat in the race to represent the city's Haight Ashbury district. He's won the backing of several of the city's top elected officials, including District Attorney Kamala Harris and Supervisor Tom Ammiano. Mayor Gavin Newsom is supporting a more moderate Democrat.
A win would be historic "and a little scary," Halland said.
"When you put yourself out there, it's a little nerve-racking. But it's definitely something I'm comfortable with," he said.
Internationally, a member of the New Zealand parliament is believed to be the only current transgender officeholder.
27 years after Harvey Milk became the nation's first openly gay elected official when he was elected a San Francisco supervisor, many Democratic leaders here say Haaland's win would be a comparable milestone.
"There are parallels, certainly," said Ammiano, who is gay. "The institutionalized prejudice and ignorance around the issue make his run very, very significant. A win would be even sweeter."
Haaland is one of 22 candidates running for the seat, but his strongest opponents are an HIV-positive gay African-American and two Green Party activists. The winner will replace Green Party member Matt Gonzalez, who decided not to seek re-election to the board after losing a close race for mayor last year.
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