Minneapolis transgender pols: Wins show hatred won’t stand

MINNEAPOLIS – Two newly elected transgender members of the Minneapolis City Council hugged, shared a high-five and enjoyed cheers from onlookers as they met at City Hall.

Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham take office in January. They say their historic wins are a victory for equality in the U.S.

Jenkins and Cunningham know their way around City Hall. Jenkins, a 56-year-old transgender woman, spent years as a policy aide to two previous council members. Cunningham, a 29-year-old transgender man, worked in the mayor’s office.

Cunningham says when voters found out he was transgender and black — and that his husband also is transgender — they said, “That’s who I want to represent my neighbourhood.”

Jenkins says their election is a signal that “hatred and bigotry in this country will not stand.”