USA Today honored a biological male Democratic lawmaker who identifies as a transgender woman on its annual “Women of the Year” list.
Democratic state Rep. Leigh Finke is the first “openly transgender” person to be elected and serve in Minnesota’s state legislature. Late last week, Finke was selected as the state’s nominee for the “Women of the Year” list. The list began in 2022 as a continuation of “Women of the Century,” which celebrated 100 years of women having the right to vote.
“It’s a dramatic understatement to say that I am beyond honored to see my name among this list of honorees,” Finke wrote on Twitter.
In USA Today’s profile of Finke, it claimed that Finke transitioned six years ago and “was always interested in politics” but never planned on running for office (via St. Cloud Times):
Leigh Finke has always fought to change the world for the better.
Growing up in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, Finke was always interested in politics but never planned to be a political candidate herself. Read more…
