Political candidates often want to show voters they are common, everyday people. Gina Duncan, who is running for Commissioner of Orange County, Florida was president of her high school, homecoming king and captain of an undefeated state championship football team. She is also an alumna of East Carolina University were she played football on a scholarship. Duncan wants people to know that she is the average citizen who simply happens to be transgender.
Windy City Times: What spurred you to run for Orange County commissioner?
Gina Duncan: Well, I've had a very fortunate and amazing life. I was in banking for 30 years. The last 13 years I was with Wells Fargo. I was their regional manager. I retired from banking and opened my own small business, a travel agency. I was also committed to the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. I felt it was time to give back to my community and after working with the chamber I realized how much wasn't being done on the county level.
WCT: What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
Gina Duncan: The main thing I hope to accomplish if elected is to return county government back to the people of district five. My opponent has been in office for 10 years and has had to abstain from voting 102 times due to conflict of interest. Our current commissioner represents special interest, big business and not the citizens of District 5.
WCT: Has your visibility as a member of the LGBT community affected your campaign at all?
Gina Duncan: I've been very pleased that we have stepped past the sensational issue of a transgender candidate running in Central Florida and we has stayed focused on the issues of the citizens of Orange County.
WCT: What's your opinion on the visibility of the trans community in general?
Gina Duncan: Obviously, it's important in this race because it's another step forward for the transgender community. When I'm successful in this campaign it will be historic in that I'm the first transgender elected official in Florida. If in doing so it normalizes the transgender experience and enables other transgender individuals to achieve their goals, then all the better.
WCT: How did you come to the decision to transition?
Gina Duncan: As with most transgender people you have no choice. I could no longer live a life that I knew was so wrong that I made the very difficult decision to transition. As you might know, the suicide rate in the transgender community is alarmingly high. For many, the circumstances of daily torment—of not being able to be their true self—becomes intolerable. This is why I believe it is so important for transgender people to be out and visible and hopefully successful—so that others will see that you can succeed in life as you transition to become your authentic self.
WCT: What reactions did you receive after deciding to transition?
Gina Duncan: I was very fortunate to have positive circumstances framing my transition. I worked for a very progressive corporation, Wells Fargo, who completely supported my decision and helped educate my 26 branch managers and 250 employees who, at that time, reported to me. I also was fortunate in that my large and supportive family were with me every step of the way.
Now does this mean it was all smooth sailing? No. At Wells Fargo, the competition used my circumstances to recruit my top salespeople, and many employees who remained had a difficult time understanding my situation. Many external clients also were reluctant to understand my situation and elected to take their business elsewhere. Over time, however, the pushback from employees and clients diminished and, to this day, both business and personal relationships have endured.
WCT: Some proponents of radical feminism have argued against the inclusion of transgender women in the fight for gender equality. They disqualify transgender women as men pretending to be women. How have you dealt with anti-trans misogyny?
Gina Duncan: Frankly, I have not had to deal with a lot of it in central Florida. However, people who have that mindset are ignorant of transgender issues. It's important to understand that people who are transgender seek to align their physical being with their soul. Personally, I see myself as a woman, pure and simple. I am a woman running for an elected position.
WCT: What do you think about the portrayal of transgender people in the media—or the lack thereof?
Gina Duncan: I think that the media often portrays transgender individuals to the extreme. For ratings or to sell newspapers, media often sensationalizes transgender stories. Media tends to lean towards the drag queen image versus normal transgender men and women living a normal life and trying to achieve their dreams.
I think over the last five years there has been a market improvement in the portrayal of transgender people on television, in print media and social media, and a great deal of progress has been made because of brave people stepping forward to tell their story and normalize the experience. People like Chaz Bono and the Miss Universe contestant [Jenna Talackova] have been great examples of the positive image that should be portrayed of transgender people.
WCT: Aside from transgender men and women, the trans community includes agender, bigender and intersex individuals. With this in mind, what do you think it would take for American society to move away from the gender binary towards a more inclusive method of gender recognition?
Gina Duncan: That is already occurring. I do a great deal of public speaking to universities and colleges in central Florida, and it is very clear that future generations do not see the world in terms of a binary perspective. Our college kids and young people are embracing gender diversity in ways like never before. I recently spoke to a diverse group of students at the University of Central Florida and, in many cases, it was very difficult to identify a specific gender; the great thing about that is these young people were totally comfortable in their own skill and living authentic lives.
WCT: What needs to be done to end work place discrimination against trans people?
Gina Duncan: Well, besides legal remedies that need to be in place that include human-rights ordinances and other non-discrimination legislation, the most important thing that needs to be done is continued education and awareness of the transgender experience. As president of the LGBT chamber of commerce, I interact with many international corporations who are our corporate partners. These corporations believe that their business success hinges on creating a welcoming and diverse, friendly environment where their employees can bring their best and their brightest to their jobs every day. It is critical that our social environment aligns with these positive steps being made by enlightened corporations.
For more on Duncan, visit www.ElectGinaDuncan.com .
