Voters in Appleton elect first transgender city council member

This is what progress looks like…

Voters in Appleton on April 1 elected transgender candidate Gypsy Vered Meltzer to their city council. 

Meltzer, 31, told the Post-Crescent, “I can see some push back, but I hope they’ll get over it. I hope things don’t go that route. I don’t want to lose focus on the issues and increasing communications between the city and its residents.”

Meltzer, who identifies as male and moved to Appleton in 2000 to go to school, defeated Barney Lemanski in the municipal election. The vote was 295-199.

Fair Wisconsin, a statewide LGBT group, said Meltzer is the first openly transgender individual to hold elected office in the state. The election is historic, said Fair, which endorsed Meltzer in the race for the District 2 post.