Victory for transgendered Georgia elected official Michelle Bruce!

Yay! Good news in this horrid, anti-trans lawsuit:

“Judge finds no gender fraud in Riverdale election,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In Riverdale, incumbent Michelle Bruce — cited by the National Center for Transgender Equality as the first transgender elected official in the Georgia — will compete against political newcomer and Atlanta firefighter Wayne Hall for council ward 2.

Two losing Riverdale City Council candidates — Georgia Fuller and Stan Harris — asked a judge to rule the Nov. 6 general election invalid and halt the runoff, alleging Bruce lied to voters when she ran as a woman.

In their suit, Fuller and Harris allege Bruce’s name is Michael Bruce. Their attorney, Michael King, argued that Bruce’s birth certificate lists her as Mickey Dwayne Bruce and a man.

“I understand he’s been on the council for four years, but they believed he was a female and not a male,” King told the court. “He did that to deceive the females to get their vote.”

Bruce testified that she changed her name in Clayton County Superior Court in 1980 to Mickey Michelle Bruce and goes by Michelle Mickey Bruce. She said she is transgender and declined to answer additional questions about her gender.

Bruce testified that she never was named Michael Bruce.

Cole Thaler, a transgender rights attorney for gay advocacy group Lambda Legal, said he was pleased to see the judge side with Bruce.

“There is a common misunderstanding that transgender are misrepresenting themselves,” said Thaler, who sat in on the hearing but did not represent Bruce. “The judge’s ruling shows that he understands transgender people are being their true selves and not defrauding the public.”…

After the hearing, Bruce said she was disappointed by the personal attacks but planned to continue campaigning for the runoff.

“I feel vindicated, and it shows that special interest groups don’t care about the citizens of Riverdale or their wishes,” Bruce said. “I can’t say it doesn’t hurt. It does hurt.”

Rudy Giuliani in drag

“Rudy Giuliani in a dress: Will voters care?” MSNBC

A poll shortly afterward found his approval rating at an all-time high of 67 percent, and a majority of city voters said they enjoyed the gag. He won re-election later that year.

Perhaps New Yorkers, who are overwhelmingly Democrats by a margin of five to one, appreciated one particular line during the 1997 show, which was a spoof of the musical comedy “Victor/Victoria,” in which a woman pretends to be a man pretending to be a woman.

“I already play a Republican playing a Democrat playing a Republican,” Giuliani quipped.

For conservatives who already are leery of backing Giuliani because of his support for abortion rights and other positions on social issues, the feminine clothing may also remind them of his support of gays while mayor — despite the fact that the majority of cross-dressers are not gay.

“The Long Tail of Candidate Searches,” Time

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani, the Republican front-runner according to the latest polls, was the subject of the fewest searches. This probably has no bearing on his popularity; it’s most likely due to the fact that people can’t spell “Giuliani.” The most common Giuliani searches focus on his stance on taxes and the war. Beyond that, however, there’s an odd obsession with finding images of “Rudy Giuliani in Drag,” perhaps fueled by some circulating photos from a 2000 political roast. It’s just weird.