Janice Covington of Charlotte is the first openly transgender person to serve as a Democratic delegate from North Carolina. She was chosen Saturday in a statewide convention, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party said.
“It’s important to my community - to the whole LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community,” to be a part of the convention, Covington, 64, said.
“We’ve always been left off the bus. Transgenders have always been the redheaded stepchildren. I think that by being transgender and part of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) it shows President (Barack) Obama is an inclusive person,” Covington continued. “When I go to the DNC, I’m going to bring my personality and greet people and educate them.”
North Carolina Democrats Saturday convened in Raleigh to choice the remainder of their 158 delegates for the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte later this year. Ninety-three delegates were chosen at district-wide conventions in May.
--Carmen Cusido, Observer staff writer
