I am the first trans woman elected in the Republic. In the 2020 municipal elections, the voters of Tilloy-Lez-Marchiennes, a small village in the north of France on the Belgian border, chose to entrust me with their votes.
Did my trans identity weigh in this vote? Did anyone vote for me because I was trans? Did others exclude me automatically because of transphobia? Maybe. But I know today that, for the vast majority of the inhabitants, it does not matter.
I have worked all my life to ensure that I am not seen solely through the prism of my trans identity. I wanted to run for office and have people vote for me and for my ideas.
I succeeded, but it was a long road.
