{"id":1367,"date":"2026-08-07T18:47:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1367"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:47:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:47:51","slug":"michigan-could-elect-openly-trans-woman-to-state-legislature-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1367","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Could Elect Openly Trans Woman to State Legislature for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Read more Wildfire Smoke Now Threatens Prenatal Health More Than Harmful Human Emissions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Michigan is on track to welcome its first openly transgender woman to serve as a state representative.<\/p>\n

Erin in the Morning <\/em>readers likely first met Joanna Whaley in April or May of this year, when we reported that the 38-year-old hospital chaplain was running to be the state representative in Michigan\u2019s 2nd House District. She had been temporarily knocked off the ballot because her opponent in the Democratic primary, Frank Liberati, contested her eligibility, arguing her name change documents were invalid and therefore disqualifying.<\/p>\n

This maneuver didn\u2019t work. Whaley beat Liberati and one other opponent in the Aug. 4 primary with 56% of the vote, with the second-place candidate trailing over 20 points behind. It was a margin of victory that surprised even Whaley. Now, Erin in the Morning <\/em>can re-introduce her as the official Democratic nominee for Michigan\u2019s 2nd House District.<\/p>\n

She will face off against Republican Ronald Kokinda. But this district leans Democratic, making Whaley the predicted winner of the general election this November. If she crosses that finish line, she will be the first transgender woman to serve in the Michigan Legislature.<\/p>\n

While equal rights for transgender people remains a priority, Whaley emphasized that she hopes to represent all constituents. She is campaigning primarily on issues like cost of living, health care access, and public safety. She also denounced corporate money and Christian nationalism as key culprits behind America\u2019s democracy in decline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a pastor who would, from the pulpit, would say, if you listen to anything other than Fox News, you\u2019re letting the devil into your house,\u201d she told Erin in the Morning. <\/em>\u201cAs a pastor myself, I think that is a terrible, terrible mistake to let a pastor think for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The seat Whaley seeks is currently held by Democratic Rep. Tullio Liberati, the brother of Frank Liberati, who tried to get Whaley booted from the ballot. The current representative, Tullio, was one of eight Democrats who crossed party lines to vote in favor of a resolution calling upon the Michigan High School Athletic Association to discriminate against trans people.<\/p>\n

Read more Dems Warn Prediction Markets Allowing Bets on Wildfires Threaten Public Safety<\/a><\/p>\n

Whaley faces unique obstacles that cisgender candidates may not. In addition to opponents trying to weaponize name and gender marker changes for political gain, trans people are plagued by an endless stream of questions about \u201celectability.\u201d In New Hampshire, for example, State Rep. Alice Wade recently said she was pressured not to run for higher office by a fellow Democrat who cast doubt on whether a trans woman could win in their state.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remember standing in the poll lines,\u201d Whaley said, recounting the primary. \u201cTrans person after trans person, parents of trans kids \u2014 coming up to me and saying, \u2018You\u2019re making us feel like we can come out of our house again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Whaley said one of her highest campaign expenses was a security detail due to the sheer volume of anti-trans threats of violence that she receives.<\/p>\n

But she credits her time in seminary and the two decades she spent at an evangelical megachurch \u2014 an experience that included surviving coercive anti-LGBT conversion therapy \u2014 with giving her a unique ability to connect with voters across backgrounds. \u201cI speak fluent Republican,\u201d she told Erin in the Morning. <\/em>The proud parent added: \u201cThe term \u2018family\u2019 does not belong to conservatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

She admits change will take time, but she said she\u2019s ready to be part of that process. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m going see the fruits of some of this labor,\u201d Whaley explained. \u201cBut it\u2019s just continuing to be that voice of, you know, letting someone\u2019s grandmother hear: \u2018Oh my gosh, this trans person talked about something I never thought they would. They talk about loving their family. I thought Fox News told me they hated family.\u2019 I think that that stuff\u2019s gonna matter in the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whaley said she will not back down in the fight for civil rights, including those of trans Michiganders. \u201cI\u2019m going to go into the belly of the beast for you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Although many outlets are reporting that she will be the first transgender representative there, period, Rep. Emily Dievendorf, of the 77th House District, is nonbinary, and has served since 2022.<\/p>\n

Read more The Trump Administration Has Lost 75 of 93 First Amendment Cases, Report Finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joanna Whaley won her primary, despite her opponent using an anti-trans maneuver to try to disqualify her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nMichigan Could Elect Openly Trans Woman to State Legislature for the First Time - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1367\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michigan Could Elect Openly Trans Woman to State Legislature for the First Time - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Joanna Whaley won her primary, despite her opponent using an anti-trans maneuver to try to disqualify her.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1367\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T18:47:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1367#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1367\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"Michigan Could Elect Openly Trans Woman to State Legislature for the First Time\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-07T18:47:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1367\"},\"wordCount\":777,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1367#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/095015ec9c409bed7485f0492e79b771.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1367#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1367\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1367\",\"name\":\"Michigan Could Elect Openly Trans Woman to State Legislature for the First Time - 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