Danielle J. Pellett is not just a trailblazing political figure, she is a symbol of what it means to lead with both conviction and compassion. A proud Texan born in Brownsville to a mixed-race family, Danielle embodies the spirit of resilience inherited from her mother, a woman who never let adversity define her limits. From her earliest days as the founder of the first transgender student organization at a Texas university, to her passionate work with the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance and the Progressive Alliance, Danielle has stood at the intersection of courage and advocacy. In 2018, she made history by running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas’ 32nd district, bringing a bold and inclusive vision to the national stage.
Her political platform championed environmental justice, economic fairness, and the removal of corporate influence from democracy, all while unapologetically defending LGBTQ rights in the face of growing backlash. But behind the headlines and campaign photos is a woman of deep introspection and warmth. Danielle is a loving wife, a dedicated chemist, a self-proclaimed sci-fi fan with a penchant for pop culture tees, and a fierce believer in the power of community. Whether rallying for healthcare reform or quietly mentoring other trans women navigating gender dysphoria, Danielle radiates a belief that life’s truest purpose lies in the paths we carve for others. As we sit down for this interview, we meet not only a political visionary, but a woman of grace, humor, and hope, a woman who reminds us that the journey matters just as much as the destination.
Monika: Today, I have the pleasure and honor of speaking with Danielle J. Pellett, an inspirational American woman, New Deal Democrat, and trans rights activist. Danielle is running for the Democratic nomination to represent Texas’s 32nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. She was the founding president of the first transgender student organization at a Texas university, and later worked with the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance and the Progressive Alliance. Welcome, Danielle!
Danielle: Howdy, Monika, and thanks for the opportunity to get my message out there.
Monika: To begin, can you share a bit about your background and what has shaped your journey?
Danielle: I think you covered a lot of it in the introduction. I was born on the border in Brownsville, Texas, to a mixed-race couple: David Ellsworth and Maria del Rosario.
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| Speaking at a Secular Candidate meet-and-greet. Dani for Congress website |
Monika: When I saw your announcement to run for the nomination, I was genuinely thrilled. We’re in such need of young, dynamic women stepping up in politics, your presence brings fresh energy and hope.
Danielle: Growing up, I realized that my mother was much more feminist than her Catholic upbringing would have allowed back then. She even had a physical impairment that had her in leg braces for the first two decades of her life. Her father was always telling her that she couldn’t do things, while she defiantly did it anyway. Even now, people tell me that someone like me ‘has no chance,’ and I can just imagine my mom’s voice saying back, “Okay, watch me.”
Monika: Your political platform highlights several bold priorities, such as launching an environmental jobs program, cracking down on illegal tax shelters, and eliminating corporate lobbyists from acting as superdelegates. Could you walk us through how these ideas developed and how you’ve worked to promote them?
Danielle: During the 2016 Texas Democratic State Convention, I led a group of over 120 state delegates to do something that was considered impossible: introduce platform ideas through direct democracy. We had to get 50% of all attendees to sign petitions in order to pass a resolution, or at least 30% to bring it to a vote on the final day. So naturally, we did three.
Monika: That’s impressive organizing! What inspired those particular resolutions?
Danielle: It all started with the release of the Panama Papers, which came out just after the Senate District Conventions that feed into the State Convention. Obama’s FATCA law was proven ineffective at curbing offshore tax shelter abuse, so I wanted to strengthen it and make the acronym more appealing. In the end, the first of the three resolutions that we passed was called the FATCATS resolution, and it was possibly the easiest one to gather signatures for.
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| At Transgender Lobby Day at Texas Legislature in Austin. |
Monika: Is advocating for LGBTQ rights a central part of your political agenda? How has the current political climate shaped your priorities?
Danielle: I filed to run for office before the 2016 election was even over, since there was no Democratic challenger to the incumbent, and I had assumed Trump would lose. When I was putting together the issues that matter most to Texans, I wasn’t expecting the level of assault on LGBTQ rights that we’ve since seen.
Monika: What kinds of challenges are you most concerned about for the LGBTQ community right now?
Danielle: Now that we’re living under President Trump, and the Texas Legislature is going out of their way to pass laws that would give us “potty police” and require us to carry our birth certificates at all times, I’m definitely worried about the LGBTQ community. We need to roll back the damage currently being done and work proactively to support equality for sexual orientation and gender identity.
Monika: How do Republicans and Democrats differ in their approach to LGBTQ rights, especially regarding issues like bathroom bills?
Danielle: The easiest example I can point to is the bathroom bills. While Democrats argue that citing the negative impact of a boycott due to an anti-trans law will hurt businesses, Republicans see that as literally putting a price tag on the safety of their wives and children.
Monika: Why do you think anti-trans sentiments persist despite evidence disproving harmful stereotypes?
Danielle: Of course, transgender people aren’t the sexual predators that pop culture and horror movies have perpetuated for decades, but the homophobic dog whistle that “the queers will come after your children” still remains today. It isn’t used against gays and lesbians as much anymore, but it still works on the transgender community since we overlap between sexism and homophobia.
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| Promotional photo by Grace Hill Images. |
Monika: Since transgender people make up only about 0.2–0.3% of the global population, and American politics often revolves around coalitions of interest groups, do you see potential allies outside the LGBTQ community who could help amplify trans voices and build political leverage?
Danielle: There was a study that said marriage equality became possible once at least 15% of people knew a gay or lesbian individual. And because transgender people are getting involved in various interest groups beyond just the LGBTQ community, we’re quickly building allies and reaching a tipping point where people realize we’re just like everyone else.
Monika: Which specific groups do you believe show the strongest potential for meaningful allyship?
Danielle: Particularly, I see the feminist community becoming an ally, as the crackdown on transgender people is heavily focused on appearances. Under the guise of “rooting out predators,” anti-LGBTQ forces are pushing rigid gender stereotypes, where even a non-transgender woman with short hair and no makeup could be harassed or attacked simply for not appearing “feminine enough.”
Monika: The transgender cause is often grouped together with the broader LGBTQ movement. Given that the “T” appears near the end of the acronym, do you feel the transgender community is able to effectively advance its own priorities within this larger coalition?
Danielle: I’m currently a board member of the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, and I’ve found it’s quite easy to promote our causes with the proper context. Of course, having run my own transgender advocacy student organization, I can also see the appeal of having our own space for support and activism.
Monika: When did you begin your transition, and what were the circumstances surrounding that decision?
Danielle: It was 2004–2005. I was two months away from signing a contract to be an officer in the United States Air Force, as my ambition since high school was to be a pilot. The primary core value of the USAF is “Integrity First,” which conflicted with the official policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
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| Protesting outside of Incumbent Pete Sessions' office for affordable healthcare reform. |
Monika: That must have been a significant turning point. How did that experience shape your path moving forward?
Danielle: Morally, I couldn’t bring myself to suppress who I was and lie for a decade or more, so I ended up not joining the Air Force. Instead, I chose to transition and become a political activist because of the domestic policies that prevented me from serving my country.
Monika: When you began your transition, were there any transgender figures who inspired or guided you along the way?
Danielle: I didn’t have any at first, just the fellow trans people I went to school with. Then I heard about Calpernia Addams and Jennifer Finney Boylan, and while their paths felt similar to mine, it wasn’t really a role model that I would try to emulate.
Monika: Coming out often comes with a personal cost, some of us lose families, friends, jobs, or social standing. Did you face any such losses during your journey? What was the most difficult part for you?
Danielle: I lost a few jobs, as Texas is a ‘right to work’ state (meaning that an employer has the right to terminate you at any time), as I tried to come out or tried to live in stealth. The relationship I was in when I first started to transition wound up failing, but we have ultimately built a strong friendship since then. The hardest thing about coming out was possibly her telling me that the face of the man she fell in love with slowly melted away when someone else took ‘his’ place.
Monika: In recent years, transgender visibility has grown significantly. As Laverne Cox said, “Trans is beautiful.” We see young trans women becoming models and dancers, others finding success as writers, singers, and actresses, and still others excelling in politics, science, and business. How do you view the current position of transgender women in today’s society?
Danielle: We’re getting attention, which is good in many ways. Of course, with every step forward we take, there’s going to be a backlash. It is my hope that gender identity becomes something less ‘flashy’ for headlines and that any transgender individuals who are given a microphone and platform will be responsible and use that time to raise awareness for others who are downtrodden.
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| Promotional photo by Grace Hill Images. |
Monika: Do you believe this growing visibility is a sign of lasting progress, or are we still in the early stages of change?
Danielle: Only with intersectionality (understanding that most social ills are intrinsically linked and affect poor minorities of color the most) will we be able to overcome prejudice in society today. So in short, yes… we’re just scratching the surface.
END OF PART 1
The main photo credits: Grace Hill Images.
All photos: courtesy of Danielle Pellett.
© 2017 - Monika Kowalska
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