And he won by thirteen points.

November 7, 2008 9:24 PM

The recent election season in the US was marked by many firsts. One you might not know about: Silverton, Oregon has elected Stu Rasmussen as their mayor. Stu is believed to be the first ever openly transgender mayor in the United States.
posted by tractorfeed (25 comments total)

Nevermind that ... how many times have candidates put photos of themselves only in a bra on their websites? Safe guess - not often! Rick Davis, no doubt you'll want to take note of this for the Palin 2012 campagin.
posted by brain cloud at 9:33 PM on November 7, 2008

You know, I gotta say...Dude's got a pretty sweet rack.
posted by ColdChef at 9:34 PM on November 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

But - good on yer, Stu. The country only benefits when flimsy barriers are broken.
posted by brain cloud at 9:34 PM on November 7, 2008

From his site: I don't claim to have all the answers, but I can recognize good ideas when I hear them. I'm very accessible - I live in Silverton, I work in Silverton and you know you can find me at the Corner of Oak and Water when you have a City Council issue or movie suggestion.

Ma Vie En Rose
posted by ColdChef at 9:39 PM on November 7, 2008

Ah, my bad. Stu runs a movie theater. That makes more sense now.
posted by ColdChef at 9:43 PM on November 7, 2008

Interesting - "I identify mostly as a heterosexual male," Rasmussen said. "But I just like to look like a female." - He's not identifying himself as a woman trapped in a man's body, but he likes to look like a female. From the clip, he hasn't attempted to mask his voice, and his face is still very masculine. At first, I though this dapper Dan just wasn't good at cross-dressing.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:50 PM on November 7, 2008

It was a first this election season? His/her website says:

Now I'm running for Mayor of Silverton (population 9,588). It's a position I have already been elected to twice before - in 1988 and 1990.

posted by cj_ at 11:09 PM on November 7, 2008

The once-great American empire is declining into a socialist republic of tax-happy Muslim drag queens and biracial self-miscegenators determined to abort our future Marines and advance the vegan agenda in the smoking ruins of Rotary Clubs and Methodist bingo parlors.
posted by digaman at 11:16 PM on November 7, 2008 [10 favorites]

It was a first this election season?

From the link:

Stu Rasmussen served two terms as the Mayor of Silverton in the 1990s. But he hadn't admitted to being transgender. He's not the same man now that he was then. Today he wears a skirt and high heels. He has breast implants, and long red hair.

posted by HaloMan at 11:46 PM on November 7, 2008

digaman, not if the cross-dressing nazi muslim pedophile racists can stop them!
posted by qvantamon at 1:27 AM on November 8, 2008

Good for Stu, and warmly inspiring even for this hetero chick.

What a sweet world it would be if everyone could just be themselves, and everyone else could just be accepting. Or, failing that, tolerant. Just even tolerant would be good. I like to think the Fearlful Hater part of the population is slowly getting outnumbered by the Accepting and Tolerant folks.

/hippie-esque thinking aloud
posted by quietalittlewild at 4:33 AM on November 8, 2008 [2 favorites]

Fearful, that is. (That extra "r" makes it sound too genteel.)
posted by quietalittlewild at 4:47 AM on November 8, 2008

I assumed he ran on a platform of change.
posted by mannequito at 5:20 AM on November 8, 2008

Actually, he ran on a platform of three-inch heels.

What really struck me about this story was how insular and parochial Rasmussen seemed to be. He honestly didn't know that other men liked to wear women's clothes until he had access to the Internet? He runs a movie theater, and somehow he never came across Glen or Glenda, La Cage Aux Folles or The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Congratulations to him for figuring himself out, not to mention for his mayoral victory, but there's a whole world out there that he apparently just wasn't curious about.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:41 AM on November 8, 2008

Before running for Mayor, Stu was my favourite katoey in Patpong.
posted by gman at 7:34 AM on November 8, 2008

Mayor Stu doesn't advertise.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:49 AM on November 8, 2008 [6 favorites]

First thing I thought loading up.. Stu's webpage was.. WOOF!
posted by ChickenringNYC at 8:06 AM on November 8, 2008

> Nevermind that ... how many times have candidates put photos of themselves only in a bra on their websites? Safe guess - not often! Rick Davis, no doubt you'll want to take note of this for the Palin 2012 campagin.

I think it's a dress; look beneath his right arm, and you see black there as well.
posted by WCityMike at 8:07 AM on November 8, 2008

Whats more shocking to me is that someone named "Stu" would be allowed to run a city. Geez, what has this world come to?
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:18 AM on November 8, 2008

[snark] Thank goodness we have another thread about American politics! 'cause, y'know, that's what MeFi is all about! [/snark]

I wonder if, having proved itself capable of change, the USA's performance will inspire other countries to elect smart, young, kind leaders.

Perhaps Canada wouldn't have stuck with asshat Harper if the election had been held in December. It wouldn't surprise me if that were part of the reason he decided to call it.
posted by five fresh fish at 8:46 AM on November 8, 2008

Perhaps Canada wouldn't have stuck with asshat Harper if the election had been held in December. It wouldn't surprise me if that were part of the reason he decided to call it.

There was lots of speculation about this. And I TOTALLY agree.

"Harper could fear that with a possible Democratic election victory in November by Barack Obama, Canadian voters would be less inclined to return to power a Conservative government seen as close to that of outgoing Republican US President George W Bush."
posted by gman at 8:51 AM on November 8, 2008

ChickenringNYC: "First thing I thought loading up.. Stu's webpage was.. WOOF!"

Me, I just wanted to know if he has an alibi?
posted by CrayDrygu at 9:37 AM on November 8, 2008

I assumed he ran on a platform of change.

Yep. Change we need.
posted by IvoShandor at 9:53 AM on November 8, 2008

Gun sales will surge again. The LBGT community is very violent.
posted by Flex1970 at 10:48 AM on November 8, 2008

Yeah Stu!!!
posted by serazin at 11:53 AM on November 8, 2008