Matherne becomes Stamford’s first transgender lawmaker

Stamford City Representative elect Raven Matherne (Rae) is photograph on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2017 in Stamford, Connecticut. Matherne, part of Reform Stamford movement that swept the election, is the city's first transgender person elected to office. less Stamford City Representative elect Raven Matherne (Rae) is photograph on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2017 in Stamford, Connecticut. Matherne, part of Reform Stamford movement that swept the election, is the city's first ... more Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Matherne becomes Stamford’s first transgender lawmaker 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

STAMFORD — The city’s first openly transgender lawmaker was voted into office Tuesday, a milestone for the local LGBTQ community that was among the victories transgender candidates won nationwide on Election Day.

Raven Matherne, 29, who is believed to be the state’s first transgender lawmaker, won a seat on Stamford’s Board of Representatives. She ran as part of the Reform Stamford slate that sought political change on the 40-member board.

In Virginia, Democrat Danica Roem, 33, became the state’s first openly transgender legislator after beating a 13-term incumbent who introduced a bill that would have restricted transgender bathroom use. In Minneapolis, Minn., Andrea Jenkins, 56, made history as the first out transgender black person elected to public office after winning a seat on the city council. Transgender candidates also won in Florida and California.

Matherne said she ran on issues that impact her constituents, such as rising property taxes and fewer public services for residents in her wooded North Stamford district, and not necessarily that she was the first transgender person seeking a seat on the board. Reform Stamford presented a platform focused on taxes, community-minded development, enforcing zoning laws, affordable housing and protecting public spaces.

“Whether you believe taxes are high or not, they are rising,” she said. “Then when (homeowners) get to the point where they can’t afford to live in Stamford anymore, their property values are going down.”

Matherne, most recently a martial arts instructor, and newcomer Bob Lion beat Republicans Gail Okun, the incumbent, and Elise Esses in the 19th District. Lions, 69, is a retired educator and media executive. Board of Representatives President Randy Skigen, a Democrat, is from Matherne’s district, but did not seek re-election.

Democrats overall saw big wins in Stamford’s election, managing to secure a second term for Mayor David Martin and unseating the longtime Republican town clerk.

“We live in an incredibly diverse city where all residents deserve fair and equal treatment, no matter how they identify,” Martin said in a news release last month announcing Stamford received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, measuring how the city supports the LGBTQ community.

Matherne, who will be one of the Board of Representatives’ youngest members when she is sworn in, was among eight Reform Stamford candidates to win across the city’s 20 voting districts. Many saw their rise as fueled by President Donald Trump and the national political stage. Locally, Reform Stamford members said they were running a positive campaign.

“People took opposition to us despite the fact that we never once named any names. We never once said we were against anyone,” Matherne said. “We were running solely on our message and the changes we wanted to see in government.”

Part of Reform Stamford’s platform was responding to citizen concerns, something they believe has been lacking on the board.

“I feel like local government has atrophied in my neck of the woods, so trying to strengthen people’s views of local government in my district is going to be key,” she said. “When we were knocking on doors ... a majority of people simply didn’t know any of the representatives, which I also thinks contributes to people feeling like they’re secluded from the rest of the government.”

Matherne, an athlete who has run marathons in 26 states, said she came out as transgender earlier this year and began hormone replacement therapy in March. Despite noting her gender orientation in campaign literature, Matherne said she didn’t actively promote it on the campaign trail.

“On a personal note, it played a great role in pushing me to run, but it plays almost no role in my stance on policies and changes that I want to see in government,” she said.

eskalka@stamfordadvocate.com