Oregon farming community elects nation's first transgendered mayor

Democrat Stu Rasmussen, a heterosexual man with breast implants and high heels, is the new mayor of Silverton, Oregon. Rasmussen is believed to be the first openly transgendered man to be elected mayor of an American town.

Some readers may assume that Silverton must be one of those suburbs of Portland that sounds like a small town, like Beaverton or Lake Oswego. Nope. It's a farm town with fewer than 10,000 people, situated a few miles away from Salem. Most of the people in Silverton either work on farms or for businesses that cater to farmers, including a large feed store, a seed company, and a business that delivers agricultural lime. There's a lot of grass grown around here, but it's the kind that you put in your yard to make it pretty, not the kind that you smoke.

Rasmussen had served on the city council for four years, and served as mayor during the late 1980s, back before he started cross-dressing in public. Outgoing mayor Ken Hector, who served as mayor for 16 years, blamed his loss on the current wave of anti-Republican sentiment that is sweeping the country.

(cross posted at appletree)