Transgender Democrat Elected Treasurer of Oregon State Party

For the first time, an openly transgender Democrat has been elected an officer of a state party. Laura Calvo was elected Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Oregon. From the press release by Stonewall Democrats:

Today, the Stonewall Democrats congratulated Laura Calvo upon her election this week as Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Oregon.  Calvo, a seasoned Democratic operative, becomes the first openly-transgender officer of a state Democratic party.  A member of the Board of Directors for National Stonewall Democrats, Calvo also serves as Chair of the Oregon Stonewall Democrats and as Treasurer of the Multnomah County Democrats.  Multnomah County, which includes the city of Portland, is the largest county in the state of Oregon. 

Laura Calvo was a Hillary Clinton delegate to the Democratic National Convention this summer and then served on the LGBT Steering Committee for the Obama/Biden campaign. She was also a campaign adviser to successful Blue America candidate Jeff Merkley, just sworn in as Oregon’s newest Senator.

Laura Calvo:

"I’ve counted Senator Merkley as a friend since the time that we both served together in local Democratic politics," said Calvo, referring to freshman United States Senator Jeff Merkley. "I tell friends that the most effective way to pass legislation on the national level is to have elected officials who first know us as friends back home. That’s why our community was so passionate about electing Senator Merkley. Our friendships and activism in Oregon helped to shape his elected service on the state level, and those relationships continue after he has moved into the halls of Congress. Stonewall Democrats has built those types of relationship across the country. Democratic activism is a way of shaping the direction of pro-equality issues and as Treasurer of the Democratic Party of Oregon, I not only get to shape the direction of pro-equality issues, but the direction of my state party as well."

Calvo is the second LGBT officer of the state’s Democratic Party, joining Vice Chair Frank Dixon. The Democratic Party of Oregon mandates strong support for issues of equality, including the freedom to marry.