Two Trans Women Elected In Alaska!

We in the lower 48 don't get much news out of Alaska, and when we do it's focused far too often on the tabloid mess coming from the Palin family.

But in a rough week for trans kind, we definitely can use some good news, and it's coming out of the city of Fairbanks.

In an electoral history making moment in the state of Alaska, two trans people have been elected to office in the area, and are now serving in their respective positions in Kathy Ottersten and Liz Lyke.

It comes during an election year in which like everywhere else in the US, women were running for office at all levels of government 

Ottersten was elected to a Fairbanks city council seat, while Lyke was elected to a seat on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly,  Fairbanks is the second largest city in the state of Alaska with an estimated population of 32,751 residents.  The Fairbanks North Star Borough has a population of over 97,000 residents.

Boroughs are equivalent to county level governments in the other 48 states.

Ottersten is serving as a newly elected representative on the Fairbanks City Council in Seat D for one year.  Lyke is ironically serving a three year term on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly in Seat D.

While Ottersten and Lyke just want to get to the business of serving their constituents and insist that being trans is just a small portion of their lives, I and the trans community recognize and salute the political history they just made in the Last Frontier for our community. 

Congrats ladies, and may you have much success serving your community to the best of your ability.