This Mayor Just Made History As Texas’s First Trans Elected Official

The mayor of a small town in Texas has made history after coming out as transgender, the Texas Observer reports. Jess Herbst, mayor of New Hope, recently came out in a blog post on the city's website. "As your Mayor I must tell you about something that has been with me since my earliest memories," she wrote. "I am Transgender. Two years ago, with the support of my wife, daughters and son-in-law, I began Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). At the time, I did not imagine I would hold the Mayors position, but here I am." Herbst wrote that she had begun coming out to local officials and city councilmen in November, and "everyone was immediately accepting." "I live my life as a female now, and I will be performing my duties to the town as such," she wrote. "I’m not especially sensitive to the pronoun I’m called, and I expect people to take time to make the change. I use the name Jess, a simple change from Jeff." According to CBS-DFW, she held her first city council meeting as Jess this week, where people were largely supportive. “I was hoping for tolerance,” she told the station. “What I have received is overwhelming acceptance.” "I know that transgender people are just coming to light in our society, and we have made great strides in the last few years," she wrote, referencing Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox, stating that thanks to celebrities like them and the show Transparent, "society finally has a chance to see and learn about who we are." Hopefully, thanks in part to Herbst, trans visibility will only increase from here on out.