Monica DePaul isn’t afraid to criticize fellow Democrats, challenge the misconceptions about the transgender community or fight for better treatment of adjunct professors. She is a self-published author, blogger, LGBT activist, and video game enthusiast. Now she’s entering the political arena. Specifically the Wells Fargo Center, the site of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia July 26-28.

As one of the 296 Florida delegates that will attend the Convention, she realizes the importance of her representation to the transgender community.

“Apparently that’s a big deal!” DePaul laughs.

DePaul sees her political involvement at a critical time for transgender issues. Depaul was discouraged by the numerous bathroom bill controversies springing up across the country and Jacksonville’s failure to expand the city’s Human Rights Ordinance to provide employment protections to gender identity.

“[Transgender people] are the new scapegoat, because before it was the gays who were violating the sanctity of the holy institution of marriage,” DePaul said. “Well gays won marriage equality, so now gender is a sacred institution.”

DePaul is representing Florida’s fourth district. She detailed the process of how she got elected. Delegates cast votes for their preferred primary candidate at the convention. The Florida Democratic Party selects delegates proportionate to the March 15 Democratic primary (Clinton defeated Sanders in the delegate count 141 to 73).

DePaul ran for the delegate spot for exposure in politics and a chance to make a difference for the LGBT community. She wrote a detailed platform for her goals that included LGBT rights, environmentalism and income inequality.

DePaul is supporting Vermont congressman Bernie Sanders’ election bid.

“I like his intensity,” DePaul said. “As someone who specializes in rhetoric, I’m noticing that he’s being very direct. That’s unusual for a politician.”

As for the activities at the convention, she’s unsure what exactly she’ll be doing.

“We’re largely going in blind. Apparently it’s a crazy experience where all sorts of things happen,” DePaul said. “You network with leaders and get to schmooze with people about policy and who and what the party should support.”

She laughs when mentioning that Usher is supposed to perform.

DePaul is also a writer specializing in satire and uses it to deal with the oppressive system and general absurdity of life. She’s currently working on Blood on the Rocks, a sequel to a teenage vampire satire novel that’ll target politics.

“With bathroom bills and trickle-down economics, it’s clearly ridiculous. It makes no sense, so I find it ripe for ridicule,” DePaul said. “I see people at HRO hearings and they just remind me of schoolyard bullies. I see logical fallacies masquerading as serious argumentation, that’s why I choose satire.

DePaul said she wants to use her position to fight for LGBT rights in a challenging area to break down transgender stereotypes.

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