Collin County Mayor Becomes Texas First Transgender Elected Official
The mayor of a small Collin County town has become the first known openly transgender elected official in Texas history.
Jess Herbst, who became mayor of New Hope last May, came out as trans in an open letter to residents on the town’s website. Herbst had been elected to the Town Council as an alderman and was appointed mayor after the previous mayor died.
“As your Mayor I must tell you about something that has been with me since my earliest memories. I am Transgender,” Herbst wrote, adding that two years ago, she began hormone replacement therapy. “At the time, I did not imagine I would hold the Mayor’s position, but here I am.”
Herbst couldn’t immediately be reached for further comment. New Hope is a suburb of McKinney with a population of 670, according to the 2010 census. And Collin County is considered one of the most conservative suburban areas in Texas, with President Donald Trump winning by 17 percentage points in the general election.
Read more: https://www.texasobserver.org/collin-county-mayor-becomes-texas-first-transgender-elected-official/