Transgender firefighter decides to opt out of Obama dinner  | News | Advocate.com

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June 26, 2007
Transgender firefighter decides to opt out of Obama dinner

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)

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