Say Hello To Judge Jill Rose Quinn!

History was made during the Illinois Democratic primary Tuesday night as the state of Illinois saw its first ever out trans person elected to public office.

65 year old attorney Jill Rose Quinn ran for a vacant seat on the Cook County Circuit Court.   There were two other candidates running for the Democratic Party nomination in the primary for that seat, and Quinn won big with over 65% of the vote.

"It’s not just a victory for me, it’s a victory for everybody out there who’s marginalized, everybody who’s different, everybody who’s trans,” said Quinn in an interview. 
Quinn was endorsed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), the Cook County Democratic Party and the LGBTQ Victory Fund.   She was also rated qualified by 13 different local bar agencies in addition to drawing the top position on the ballot.

Mayor Lightfoot said in her endorsement of her,"Jill Rose Quinn has fought for fairness, equality and justice her entire life and her perspective and experience will be invaluable for our courts and our community.” 

So she had a few things going her way in the runup to Election Night. 

Because there was no Republican running in their primary for this seat, she will when the November 3 election happens be running unopposed for it and is assured of being elected.. 

On that night she will officially become the first out trans person elected to public office in the state of Illinois, only the fourth transgender judge in the nation, and the second elected one after Judge Vicky Kolakowski of California.

Judge-elect Quinn does recognize the importance of her win.   In an interview that was conducted before Election Day, she said this as she reflected on her campaign:

“There are kids in this country killing themselves because they’re trans and they don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. They don’t see respect. They don’t see themselves portrayed as being people, not ordinary people, of course, because nobody’s ordinary, but they don’t see how great they can be," Quinn said. “So I think it’s important for them to see that you can survive, you can prosper, you can go to school, you can study hard. You can make your way, and you can be a judge."

Congratulations Judge Quinn for making history and being a possibility model to our kids.

Congrats Judge Watson!

Y'all know I have much love and admiration for my trailblazing Houston activist sis Fran Watson.

She's an attorney and former head of the Houston GLBT Caucus.   She was also the first Black woman to head the Caucus.  ,

Fran has run for the Texas state senate,  is one of only three Black women to be elected as a Houston Pride grand marshal, and volunteers her time to many worthy causes and organizations in the Houston area.

Earlier today the Houston City Council unanimously voted to approve Fran's nomination for a two year term as a municipal judge.

Congratulation Judge Watson!   This is a well deserved, and glad you will get to serve our fellow Houstonians from our municipal court bench.  I have no doubts that you will do a fantastic job in this new position

Say Hello To Judge Tracey Nadzieja

Here's some wonderful news coming out of Arizona.

On October 12 Tracey Nadzieja was sworn in as a commissioner in the Maricopa County Superior Court.   That made her the first trans judge in the state of Arizona and only the third ever in the United States.

In case you're wondering who the other two are, they are Phyllis Frye here in Houston and Vicky Kolakowski in California.

“That’s the weird thing about doing this. Yes, I’m the first, and that’s a story,” Nadzieja said in an interview. “But on the other hand, what I had basically hoped going into this job is that people won’t see that part of the story. That the whole transgender part of the story will ultimately become an absolute non-issue. That people will just see me as somebody who is competent, fair, dedicated and just like anybody else.”

Still, Nadzieja becoming a judge is a tremendous point of pride to the Arizona trans community.   She is also ascending to a judicial bench at a time when the trans community is under assault from the Trump misadministration. 

Congratulations to Judge Nadzieja!

Canada's First Trans Judge Sworn In

Kael McKenzie made Canadian history yesterday when he was sworn in as the country's first transgender judge after being appointed to that position by a independent judicial nominating committee in December.

The 44 year old McKenzie is not only the first ever trans judge in Canada and the province of Manitoba but is possibly the first out trans masculine judge on the planet.

He is also of First Nations descent.

"I'm just one example of many of my colleagues and people who are attaining certain levels of notoriety that can show people we are just people." McKenzie said in a December interview. "We are just doing what everyone else does and we can achieve whatever we want with hard work and dedication."

After serving in the Canadian Armed Forces and graduating with his law degree from the University of Manitoba in 2006, he transitioned in 2011, served as a prosecuting Crown attorney for five years and in private practice before getting his history making appointment to the Manitoba provincial court bench on December 17.

McKenzie has also been active in the TBLGQ and legal communities as a member of the Canadian Bar Association  and the news about his appointment has been overwhelmingly positive.

"This is something to be celebrated," said Ken Champagne, the Manitoba Provincial Court's Chief Justice.

Yes it is.   Congratulations to Judge McKenzie, and I hope to see many more Canadian trans folks making history