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Friday 09 January 2009


America's first transgender mayor (+video)

Posted in: International Daily News
By GayNZ.com Daily News Staff - 16th November 2008

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Thirteen years after Kiwi transgender world-first Georgina Beyer became mayor of Carterton, America has elected its first mayor – in a landslide victory.

Stu_Rasmussen-abcnews.jpg
America's first transgender mayor: Stu Rasmussen (pic: ABC News)

Stu Rasmussen was dressed in a shirt and trousers the first time he was elected mayor of Silverton, Oregon – but this time around, he's in a dress and full make-up.

A heterosexual man who has a girlfriend, Rasmussen says he likes to dress as a woman, and has breast implants.

"I identify mostly as a heterosexual male. But I just like to look like a female," he explains. "Some guys' mid-life crisis is motorcycles or sports cars or climbing mountains or trophy wives or whatever. I always wanted cleavage, so I went out and acquired some."

His town went through the transition with him, he tells Good Morning America.

"Obviously, it was shocking to them," he explains. "We all kind of went through it together. It was pretty obvious I was making a change, it had to happen in my head. They were ready before I was."

Good Morning America's interview with Stu Rasmussen is shown below.