Boston University journalist Arianna Bouchard writes about Ward 8 city council candidate Holly Ryan in the Boston Globe:
When she wins, as expected, she’ll become the first openly transgender elected official in Newton — and one of the first in Massachusetts.
Of the 520,000 elected officials in the United States, about 13 are transgender, according to Victory Institute’s 2018 Out for America report.
I excited to have Holly Ryan on City Council, what a great addition
Go Holly! Having gotten to know you during this campaign season, I know you are going to make a wonderful Councilor!
At least once a day for the last few months I’ve thought how amazing it will be to have Holly Ryan on the City Council. We are all so fortunate.
Holly Ryan is a wonderful person and will be a wonderful City Councilor. She leads by example, and has mastered the art of being an effective advocate while still being able to talk to – and work with – everybody, including those she disagrees with.
Proud to call her a friend and hoping I have the honor of serving on the Council with her.
I have little doubt that Holly Ryan will be an effective legislator, but must her sexuality always take top billing?
By all accounts, Holly seems like a wonderful person and excellent candidate. But uncontested elections in Newton are an affront to democracy. Voters always deserve a choice. Reducing the size of the City Council would likely compact the field and provide more choice. But no candidate should ever be able to win a council seat simply because they were the only person on the ballot. I believe that voters should have a printed option in every local race to vote for “None of the Above.” Any candidate who can’t beat None of the Above, does not deserve to win or hold office. I’m really sick of these uncontested elections.
So excited to work with Holly!
Wonderful. Another reason to be a proud Newton voter, this one long-overdue.
Congrats Holly!
I am excited for Holly Ryan, soon-to-be Councilor Ryan. We should celebrate this historic moment in Newton and be happy that most can easily talk about her gender identity with ease. Transgender youth are at high risk of suicide and depression and there continues to be violence and discrimination against transgender individuals. I hope having more transgender elected officials will help us make progress on these important issues.
I agree with Mike Striar. Luckily Holly seems like a great candidate and will be a great addition to City Council, but too many of these spots are uncontested.
Holly will bring common sense, conviction and compassion to the work of the City Council. I’ve known Holly for many, many years. Her sexual orientation is not an issue, but I do know that she would never have been able to achieve her many accomplishments without the liberating freedom and new lease on life this change provided.
In the past I talked often about how much time Brian Yates spent in service to the”little guy” in Newton, i.e, the man or woman who lacks clout at City Hall, but needs help maneuvering the complexities and bureaucratic pitfalls of city government. Brian spent untold hours in quiet service to folks like this I’ve known Holly for many many years. She and Brian shared similar passions for fairness, equity, openness and the common good and they were both products of cohesive but less affluent parts of the City that don’t always feel they get the support that other parts of the city receive. We need more and more people like this on the council. Comparing Holly favorably to Brian is the best endorsement I can give her candidacy.
Bob B.,
I wholly agree with you that sexual orientation should not be an issue. But as Mike S. laments above, Holly is running uncontested. With transgender being an active historic part of the campaign — more than evidenced by this very posting on V14, its title and cited Globe feature story — any opponent running in Newton has absolutely no chance, hence no takers.
I hope to live long enough to see the day that this kind of story would not be newsworthy, that there would be sufficient diversity among elected and appointed leaders that all we would talk about is their capabilities and their positions on the issues. In the meantime, though, it’s great to celebrate the successes!
Paul,
I agree on the goal of non-newsworthy status. But it seems that when always raise the issue of diversity as paramount, it divides people into groups, especially in race, sometimes perpetuating, even intensifying difference over matters which should be irrelevant.
Jim there seem to be only two “groups” here: there’s you and there’s everyone else.
Greg, yes I realize I’m in the minority here, and I broached a very sensitive topic; which I endeavored respectfully as possible. I think that Holly will likely make a very fine and responsive City Councilor. My point is that we need to wean away from identifying or classifying everyone on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, race, etc. It should be no different than if we happen to be tall or short, fat or thin. We don’t classify on the basis of that.
Newton is certainly “progressive” enough that racial and sexual differences are no longer barriers or remarkable. Ironically I’ve found the conservatives don’t bother to make these distinctions, while liberals tend to make their political or other decisions based on these distinctions. Or perhaps it’s not ironic.
While I, too, look forward to the day when it’s “no big deal” that anyone who identifies as LGBTQ is elected to a public position, we are not there yet–far from it. And while Newton is progressive, it’s not immune to discrimination–even if “only” on the microaggression level which is far more insidious. It’s crucial that the younger generation have role models of all sorts in all areas–athletes, musicians, artists, and yes, adults who identify as LGBTQ and succeed in both public and private life. Holly Ryan is that role model for so many young people who struggle with such profound issues as identity in all of its complex dimensions. And who get teased and bullied — yes, in Newton–for it. Thank you, Holly Ryan.
Ellen,
Not only is LGBTQ not even the slightest barrier to elective office (at least around here and in major parts of the USA including Newton), it is an asset and selling point for being elected — as more than demonstrated in Holly’s case and campaign.