In Julie Lemieux: Canada’s First Transgender Mayor – Unauthorized, author Shiro Deng chronicles one of the most quietly groundbreaking political careers in Canadian history. With sensitivity, depth, and journalistic curiosity, Deng paints a vivid portrait of Julie Lemieux, a soft-spoken, community-oriented cabinetmaker turned trailblazing public servant, who reshaped a rural Quebec village and, along the way, Canadian politics.
Julie Lemieux's story is not one of grand speeches or sweeping national headlines, but of grassroots transformation.
A former Drummondville cabinetmaker, she moved to the village of Très-Saint-Rédempteur in 2009 seeking a slower, more connected life. It wasn’t politics that brought her there, but wood, peace, and community. But the heart of this story, and the heart of Deng’s book, lies in the way Lemieux responded when her community needed her most.
The turning point came in the form of a church. When the beloved, but disused, Roman Catholic church at the village center was slated for demolition, Lemieux led the fight to preserve and transform it into a community and cultural hub. That victory sparked her political awakening, and in 2013, she was elected to the municipal council. Four years later, she would make history by becoming Canada’s first openly transgender mayor, and the first woman elected mayor of Très-Saint-Rédempteur.
In a political landscape still catching up to the realities of trans representation, Lemieux’s win was quietly revolutionary. Deng captures the delicious irony of a small, religious-rooted Quebecois village being the place where history was made. With warmth and nuance, the book describes how Lemieux, running on a platform of transparency, community engagement, cultural revitalization, and even backyard chickens, won 48% of the vote, soundly defeating the incumbent.
Deng’s unauthorized biography doesn’t shy away from the complexities of Lemieux’s identity. Her journey of transition, which began at 29, is recounted not as a political footnote but as a deeply personal act of courage that informed her empathy, strength, and style of leadership. And yet, what makes Lemieux extraordinary is precisely how ordinary her campaign was. She didn’t run as “the trans candidate.” She ran as the competent, caring, and committed one. Her constituents saw "skills before status."
Through interviews, archival reporting, and thoughtful commentary, Deng traces the evolution of a politician who resisted the old boys’ club of local politics and instead offered something refreshingly different. A champion of inclusive decision-making, Lemieux brought a new energy to Très-Saint-Rédempteur’s political life, envisioning everything from an “Artisans’ Route” to better visibility for local merchants and more cultural programming for residents.
One of the book’s most compelling themes is the unexpected openness of small-town Canada. As Lemieux herself put it, her identity was “an open secret,” and though some attempted to use it against her, it failed to gain traction. Deng highlights how Lemieux’s win stands in contrast to broader media narratives that often portray rural areas as bastions of intolerance. Instead, Très-Saint-Rédempteur proved that change can bloom in even the most traditional soil.
Julie Lemieux is not your typical political figure, and that’s the point.
In Julie Lemieux: Canada’s First Transgender Mayor – Unauthorized, Shiro Deng has crafted not only a biography but also a meditation on the nature of leadership, identity, and progress. It is a testament to quiet revolutions, to people who lead by listening, and to the belief that the right person for the job might just be the one you least expect.
In telling Julie Lemieux’s story, this book doesn’t just recount history. It reminds us that history can be made, sometimes with a campaign promise about backyard chickens and a heart full of courage.
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