Michelle Bruce knows what it’s like to be hated. And she wants to pick bigots
out of society like “weeds in a garden.”
“All my life I’ve had to listen to, ‘You’re gay, you’re
a fag, you’re a man in a damned dress’ or some other snide remark,”
Bruce said during a recent interview at Riverdale City Hall in Clayton County.
“Now, I’m trying to make a difference the best positive way I can.
I’m trying to do what’s right for everyone, doesn’t matter
if they’re transgender, gay, lesbian, straight, black, white or whatever.”
Bruce, 42, was born intersexed and identifies as transgendered. She has lived
her entire life as a woman.
Tired of seeing her Riverdale neighborhood deteriorate, Bruce, who repossesses
cars for a living, was inspired to run for public office with a platform of
initiatives such as creating neighborhood watch programs and a police bicycle
patrol.
Last November, she was elected to a four-year term on the Riverdale City Council.
She took office in January, and is the first transgendered elected official
in Georgia and perhaps the Southeast, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory
Fund.
“We’re so excited to hear about her success,” said Robin
Brand, vice president of campaign and elections for the Victory Fund.
“We are having more trans participants in our candidate trainings …
it’s reflective of the show of strength in the trans community,”
Brand said.
Although Bruce did not know of the Victory Fund during her campaign, she was
able to easily win in an unopposed race for one of the four seats on the Riverdale
council.
As a Georgia native who has lived for many years in Riverdale, Bruce said her
constituents accept her as she is. But recent cruel comments directed at her
by a local AM radio talk show host reminded her that she is making herself vulnerable
by being so public.
“I’ve put myself on the line for civil rights,” Bruce said.
“I’ve been publicly humiliated, character assassinated … and
all I want to do is what’s right for everyone. It’s not an easy
road because everyone wants to put labels on everyone.”
When she was just 12, a preacher told Bruce he “didn’t want your
kind in here anymore,” she said, so she stopped going to church. And while
the radio commentary also hurt her deeply, Bruce said she must continue to work
hard so those who are different can be safe.
“People do fear what they don’t understand,” she said.
As part of her work on the Riverdale City Council, Bruce is working with the
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s Transgender Civil Rights Project
to institute a non-discrimination ordinance to prohibit discrimination against
city employees for sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.
“I took myself out of the box and realized, if I worked for the city,
I would not be protected. This [ordinance] opens doors for others, not just
me,” she said.
Council member Rick Scoggins declined comment on Bruce’s tenure. Phone
calls to City Council members Wanda Wallace and Kenneth Ruffin were not returned
by press time.
Monica Helms, executive director of Atlanta-based Trans=Action, said Riverdale
citizens elected Bruce because of her mind, not her body.
“What matters is if the person is able to do the job for the people,
and I think she is doing a good job,” Helms said.
Dallas Denny, founder and executive director of the American Educational Gender
Information Service Inc. in Decatur, said she wishes for the day when a transgendered
politician can be elected to office and it is no longer a news story.
“I ran for office myself [unsuccessfully] in Pine Lake and I just wonder
why it has to be a story,” Denny said. “I do think [Bruce] can do
a good job.”
And doing a good job is exactly what Bruce said she intends to do.
“I want to promote diversity in Riverdale for everyone. I’d like
to see the GLBT community move into Riverdale and feel safe,” she said.
“I want this city to thrive and grow.”
Dyana Bagby can be reached at dbagby@sovo.com.
