Laura Calvo is an American transgender activist and politician from Oregon, the first transgender woman elected to the Democratic National Committee, former Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Oregon, and a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ equality and social justice. A former paramedic and sheriff’s deputy, Laura became involved in political activism in the 1970s, helping Harvey Milk’s campaign in San Francisco. After experiencing employment discrimination because of her transgender identity, she turned her personal struggle into a commitment to political change. She played an important role in efforts to pass Oregon’s Equality Act and Family Fairness Act and served as Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Caucus. Her contributions to the community earned her the 2008 Spirit of Pride Award from Pride Northwest and the 2010 Trinity Award from the International Foundation for Gender Education. In 2013, she made history by becoming the first transgender woman elected to the Democratic National Committee.
In our interview, Laura speaks candidly about how losing her law-enforcement career after being involuntarily outed in 1995 becomes a turning point in her life. In 2003, she testifies at a legislative hearing on employment discrimination, transforming her personal pain into a commitment to political change. She also reflects on the importance of solidarity, emphasizing that transgender people and their allies build on the work of those who came before them, and that living with dignity and integrity can itself be a powerful form of activism. Beyond politics, Laura offers a compassionate message to transgender people struggling with gender dysphoria: to take care of themselves, be forgiving of themselves and others, and continue making room for the things that bring them joy.
Monika: Laura, welcome! It is a pleasure to have you with us today.
Laura: Hello Monika! I was pleasantly surprised to be included in your interviews.
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| In Denver, CO, United States. |
Monika: Please tell us a little about yourself.
Laura: I’m a child of the ’60s, growing up in the Haight-Ashbury of San Francisco. In the mid-’70s, I went to work for the city of San Francisco as a paramedic. My first political action was helping with Harvey Milk’s campaign. I then moved to rural Southern Oregon in the ’80s and eventually to Portland, Oregon, in 2004, where I currently live. Along the way, I eventually found myself and have no regrets other than I wish that I had the foresight way back then to have found myself earlier. I’m not sure how much that would have changed where I am now, but if I’m honest, perhaps I would not be involved with politics as I am now.
Monika: Oregon became a turning point in your life. What happened after you moved there?
Laura: After moving to Oregon, I was involuntarily outed at work in 1995 and lost a career in law enforcement as a result. At the time, there were no legal protections making employment discrimination illegal. I was sick that there was no recourse. The bottom fell out of my life and I went through a very dark time.
Monika: How did you find your way from that dark period into politics?
Laura: One day in 2003, I responded to an email asking for people who had been unfairly discriminated against in the workplace. The email was asking people to provide their stories of discrimination as written testimony for a legislative hearing on a law that would ban future discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I testified at the hearing in person and that was a life-changing experience. For me, it began my journey into politics. I saw at the time that there was a means to channel the grief I was still suffering into something constructive. Three years later, the bill was signed into law and I felt some closure in that I contributed to that effort. But I saw the work was not done and continued my efforts.
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| Courtesy of Laura Calvo. |
Monika: Your name is linked to a myriad of causes that touch on transgender rights. Which of these initiatives were you part of?
Laura: As I mentioned, I was involved with the Oregon Equality Act as well as the Oregon Family Fairness Act, which provided relationship recognition for same-sex couples, so-called domestic partnerships. By the time we had the ENDA issue rise up in 2007, I was involved with the leadership of the Democratic Party here in Oregon and National Stonewall Democrats. The tragedy of that whole ENDA issue really caused me to buckle down even further in politics. Here in Oregon, we already had a coalition of people who helped put the Oregon Legislature and all of the statewide elected offices in the hands of Democrats. The Party fully embraced inclusive equal rights and that continues today.
Monika: You also helped elect Senator Jeff Merkley in 2008. What was that effort like?
Laura: In 2008, I was a part of the effort to elect Senator Jeff Merkley, who had become a dear friend by that time. It was an amazing effort and resulted in electing someone who was eager to champion LGBT rights in the U.S. Senate and, more to the point for me personally, trans* issues.
Monika: Healthcare reform was heating up around that time. Did it touch your work as well?
Laura: As healthcare reform started to heat up, I was involved with helping government agencies here in Oregon provide trans* inclusive health insurance for their employees. I also became involved with Oregon’s Healthcare Insurance Exchange as a sitting member of the Consumer and Small Business Advisory Committee.
Monika: Turning to national politics, how would you describe the attitude of President Obama’s administration towards transgender Americans?
Laura: Speaking from my personal perspective and experience, I believe the evidence is overwhelming that there has been a historic sea change in this area when you compare President Obama’s administration with any other in the past. I also have to say that the attitude of this administration has not only been inclusive of transgender Americans but has also included trans* people from other countries as well. No other administration in history has sent experienced U.S. Department of Justice investigators and prosecutors to a foreign nation to aid in the investigations of the murders of trans*-identified citizens of a foreign country.
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| Courtesy of Laura Calvo. |
Monika: What concrete changes have you seen inside government institutions?
Laura: This administration has recruited trans* people for cabinet-level Presidential appointment positions in the Department of Justice and Department of Defense. Changes in passport procedures, Social Security Administration procedures, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, as well as many other government departments have been the order of the day and continue with efforts to educate government workers responsible for these processes, which impact trans* people every day.
Just recently, the Department of Justice announced a new program to provide trans*-specific training to police departments across the country. Having had the opportunity to speak with President Obama, Vice President Biden, some of the Cabinet Secretaries, and the staff associated with those offices, I have come away with the impression that there is a personal and genuine attitude of respect for trans* people within this administration.
Monika: You followed the last US presidential campaign quite closely. Did the Republicans and Democrats differ in the way they addressed the needs and rights of the transgender community?
Laura: The differences are dramatically stark. To be fair, unfortunately, the Republican Party has been driven by extremists, beyond mainstream conservatism, who really don’t give credence to science or fact and only wish to throw us back to the days of the Old Testament. Even then, their interpretation of the Bible is skewed to a point where there is no happiness unless people are literally publicly stoned to death in the public square for offenses proscribed in the Bible. It’s sad that such a vocal minority has been able to impact so much of American politics.
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| In Denver, CO, United States. |
Monika: Do those differences reach beyond transgender issues?
Laura: It’s also noteworthy that it’s not just the manner in which the needs and rights of the trans* community are addressed. The American middle class is disappearing and the masses of poor are growing, while hope is also dwindling. Much of the problem is directly related to the difference with which the Republicans address the issues that face the U.S. and the world. Each and every barricade, obstruction, or any other impediment to alleviating the issues which impact the majority of people is exponentially multiplied for trans* people, and people of color who start out with a deficit.
Monika: American politics revolves around interest groups pursuing their specific goals. How successful has the transgender community been in that arena?
Laura: One of the several Merriam-Webster definitions of politics is, “the total complex of relations between people living in society.” When you consider the totality in combination with the limited resources and numbers of trans* people in general, then factor in the multi-billion dollar lobby industry and unlimited campaign spending to influence American voters, I’m of the opinion that trans* people have done remarkably well in pursuing their goals.
Monika: Where do you see the clearest signs of progress?
Laura: It’s a very long, slow slog, with many disappointments along the way, and there is still so much to accomplish. But when you take your nose off the grinding wheel, step back, and look at some of the progress, I think you can say there has been some success to note. Trans* people are coming out at much earlier ages, and transitions in the workplace are still a gamble, but less so now than five or ten years ago. There is certainly more U.S. case law that supports barring discrimination based on gender identity today than ever before. Medically, there are more resources and more modern thinking in the area. Grade school educators are far more aware and supportive. Even prison systems are far more aware and taking steps to improve the way they handle their inmates.
Monika: The transgender cause is usually presented together with the other LGBT communities. As the last letter in the abbreviation, is the transgender community able to promote its own cause within the group?
Laura: First, I’m not sure that there is an actual hierarchy or order of preference among the actual words, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. Also, I feel there are many more letters behind the letter T*. Our Bisexual family members are oftentimes more misunderstood than Trans* people, perhaps even more so by our L & G family members. I know that’s kind of hard to think about at times and may be difficult to understand for some.
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| Invesco Jumbotron, DNC 2008. |
Monika: Has the situation changed over the years?
Laura: Overall, I do feel that Trans* people are better able to promote their own cause than they have been in the past. As late as 2000, many might recall that the inclusion of Trans* people in the LGBT movement was being hotly debated by some of our biggest and most powerful advocacy organizations. Trans* people and their allies have been able to settle that debate, although it’s been a bumpy ride and it’s still not uncommon for some gay folks to continually question whether trans* people belong as part of the movement. However, those people are a lot timider in general about voicing that opinion.
Monika: Think of what Harvey Milk did for gay activism in the 60s and 70s. Is there anyone in the US transgender community whose actions could be compared to his?
Laura: The ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s are now so remarkably in the past and the tempo of history and life, in general, is moving so much faster now that it’s really difficult to point to just one person. In my way of thinking, we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and we walk hand-in-hand as we all walk towards the future.
Monika: What does activism look like in everyday life?
Laura: There are many ways to engage in activism and each of us has our own way. Perhaps one of the most powerful is the person who lives their everyday true life with dignity and integrity for all to see. I think that was some of the very essence of what Harvey Milk had dreamed and was about. So, here’s to all the folks, from the very young child who goes to school as their true self, to the employee who transitions at work, to the ally who speaks up when something is said or done, to all of the people who spend countless hours volunteering for campaigns and causes, to those who are beaten and murdered every year as we remember them on the Trans Day of Remembrance, and to those who struggle every day.
Monika: Do you believe transgender women can make a difference in politics?
Laura: Well, I certainly hope so since I’m in politics. I don’t think it’s limited to women. I feel that Trans* people do make a difference in politics.
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| With President Bill Clinton. |
Monika: Transgender stories and characters keep appearing in films, newspapers, and books. What is your general view of them so far?
Laura: Oh my, as a general rule, whenever I hear of a new film, show, book, or whatever, my tendency is to cringe a bit as I’m unfortunately expecting a shallow and stereotypical portrayal of a character that I’m probably not going to find very flattering or accurate. Ms. Cox on Orange Is the New Black has been an exception. It’s a great show and in general treats the character with some authenticity given the circumstances. Dallas Buyers Club, I have not seen it yet and I’m still a bit skeptical about seeing it. In general, I think it’s getting better.
END OF PART 1
All photos: courtesy of Laura Calvo.
© 2014 - Monika Kowalska
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