Florida
firefighter Jennifer Lasko, who underwent a sex change in
2005, has pulled out of a Barack Obama campaign
dinner, fearing her identity will hurt the
presidential hopeful's public image, the New York Daily
News Web site reports.
Lasko signed up
to attend a July 10 dinner in Washington, D.C.,
which was set to include Obama and four donors, as a
Republican-turned-Democrat and Army veteran. When the
Palm Beach Post exposed her past, Lasko decided
to remove herself from the event.
"I'm just a
citizen who wants to discuss issues. I was foolish to
think I could keep it under wraps," she said in the article.
"There are a lot of close-minded people who'll make an issue
of this."
Obama spokeswoman
Jen Psaki said in the article that the Illinois senator
would "love for her to attend the dinner," which is set up
as meeting ground to discuss changes needed
in the United States. (The Advocate)