Four years after
she won a city council seat, making her what is believed
to be Georgia's first transgender politician, Michelle Bruce
is battling a lawsuit launched by an unsuccessful
opponent who claims she misled voters by running as a
female.
Bruce, a tall
woman with shoulder-length graying hair, said she has
always identified herself as transgender. ''I've always been
Michelle,'' she said. ''If someone has a problem with
that, I can't help them. It's a personal issue.''
Bruce, 46, who
runs an auto repossession business, launched her political
campaign in 2003. Running unopposed, she landed one of four
council seats and pledged to attract more jobs and
residents to Riverdale, a gritty town of 12,000 about
12 miles south of Atlanta, lined with rundown strip
malls and used car lots.
Three rivals ran
against her in the November 6 election. She captured 312
votes, not enough to avoid a December 4 runoff against
second-place finisher Wayne Hall, who earned 202
votes.
Then the
third-place finisher, Georgia Fuller, who collected 171
votes, filed a lawsuit claiming election fraud.
The complaint,
identifying Bruce as ''Michael Bruce,'' claims she misled
voters by identifying herself as female. It asks a judge to
rule the November election results invalid and order
another general election.
Fuller did not
return calls seeking comment, but her attorney said that
voters in Riverdale tend to favor female candidates --
particularly if they are incumbents.
''It gives her an
unfair advantage,'' said attorney Michael King. ''It's
not just sour grapes. The people need to know whether the
election is fair.''
The suit is
unlikely to be settled before the December 4 runoff, but
Bruce sees it as an attempt to alienate her from voters.
''They're just
distracting the voters from the issues. Everybody in my
district knows me. Everyone in Riverdale knows me,'' she
said. ''I've done a real good job representing the
people. I am for the people. I'm the same Michelle
they elected four years ago,'' she said.
Riverdale city
attorney Deana Johnson said Bruce's identity was no
mystery to her constituents. ''She has served as
councilperson for four years as Michelle Bruce,'' she
said. ''It sounds like a case of politics.''
Bruce won't say
if she had surgery to change her gender, saying it's a
personal matter. She deflected most questions about her
personal life to address her hopes for Riverdale, a
town she said is in search of an identity. ''People
want a candidate that will listen to them, protect
them, save them money, and be there for them,'' she said.
''And I always will be.'' (AP)