Meet America's (Shockingly Small) Pool of Trans Elected Officials

As part of Transgender Awareness Week, we take a look at the men and women who are finally breaking the glass ceiling of elected office.

BY Neal Broverman

November 14 2012 6:00 AM ET

Michelle Bruce, councilwoman
Being a transgender councilwoman in the South is not easy, and Michelle Bruce found that out the hard way. She was elected to the Riverdale, Ga. City Council in 2003, but when she ran for reeelection, mean-spirited opponents sued her, alleging she bamboozled voters by not telling them she was trans. While the case was thrown out by a court, Bruce still lost the primary — those results were held up by a judge.