Stephe Koontz Explained

Stephe Koontz
Office:Member of the Doraville City Council
Predecessor:Sharon Spangler
Term Start:January 2018

Stephe Koontz is an American politician, and the first out transgender person to win a contested election in the U.S. state of Georgia.[1] [2] [3] She won a city council seat in the Metro Atlanta city of Doraville on November 7, 2017,[4] on what the Washington Post called "a "historic night for the nation’s transgender community", in which six openly transgender people won elections in the United States. A 32-year resident and political activist in the city, she won by a narrow margin of six votes.[5]

Koontz was invited to speak at the Georgia Alliance for Social Justice and Women's March "Power to the Polls" event on January 21, 2018. She was also featured, with other history-making elected officials, in Human Rights Campaign's nationally distributed Equality magazine.[6] She was given the 2019 Allen Thornell Political Advancement Award by Georgia Equality for her promotion of non-discrimination ordinances across Metro Atlanta cities.[7]

In November 2021, she was re-elected to the Doraville City Council for another four year term, where she will continue to serve as the only openly transgender elected official in the Southeastern United States.[8] She was sworn in on June 26, 2022, as a member of the board of directors of the Georgia Municipal Association for 2022–2023 as the president of District 3 East, which covers the eastern half of metro Atlanta.[9]

Background

Koontz has lived in Doraville since 1985, and retired before running for office. She had owned and managed a few auto repair shops and had worked as a church administrator. She was a director for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and a lieutenant governor for the North Atlanta Division of Kiwanis service clubs.[10]

Notes and References

  1. News: Transgender people have been elected before. But they can finally let the voters know.. Eltagouri. Marwa. 2017-11-09. The Washington Post. 2018-04-24. 0190-8286.
  2. News: One year ago, she marched. This year, she's a councilwoman. Emanuella . Grinberg. CNN. 2018-04-24.
  3. Transgender America: 10 Best and Worst Moments of 2017. Rolling Stone. 2018-04-24. 2017-12-28. April 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180424071832/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/transgender-america-10-best-and-worst-moments-of-2017-w514690/the-good-election-night-2017-w514701. dead.
    - Web site: After a year of Trump and outrage, this weekend's women's march will focus on electoral politics. Jarvie. Nina Agrawal, Dakota Smith, Laura King, Jenny. Los Angeles Times. 2018-01-19. 2018-04-24.
    - News: Meet 2017's newly elected transgender officials. NBC News. 2018-04-24.
    - News: LGBTQ political candidates score historic victories across U.S.. NBC News. 2018-04-24.
    - Web site: Meet the Transgender Americans Who Won on Election Day. Girard. Charles. 2017-11-08. Human Rights Campaign. 2018-04-24.
    - News: DeKalb County woman is Georgia's only transgender elected official. WGCL Digital. 2018-04-24. April 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180424072004/http://www.sutelemundo20.com/story/36812140/dekalb-county-woman-is-georgias-only-transgender-elected-official. dead.
    - News: Es vital que los latinos voten en todas y cada una de las elecciones (VIDEO). 2018-02-02. Mundo Hispanico. 2018-04-24. es. April 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180424071908/https://mundohispanico.com/ciudades/atlanta-georgia/tras-historico-triunfo-concejal-envia-importante-mensaje-a-comunidad-latina-video. dead.
    - Web site: The Eight Trans Officials Who Made History Tuesday Night. Beckwith. Cerys. Wu. Jay. 2017-11-09. Medium. 2018-04-24.
    - News: How LGBT Candidates Won So Big on Election Night. Allen. Samantha. 2017-11-08. The Daily Beast. 2018-04-24.
    - Web site: Fighting Back and Preparing for 2018. Siperstein. Barbra Casbar. 2017-12-06. Huffington Post. 2018-04-24.
  4. Web site: Mayor and City Council. The City of Doraville. 2018-04-24.
    - News: Jim Hightower: There's a Blue Wave Cresting in Statewide Elections. Hightower. Jim. 2018-03-06. AlterNet. 2018-04-24. April 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180424135646/https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/statewide-races-blue-waves. dead.
    - News: Un an après Trump, les États-Unis élisent 7 représentant-e-s trans. Julie Baret. 2017-11-09. Têtu. 2018-04-24. fr.
  5. News: Doraville woman becomes Georgia's only transgender elected official. Joshua Sharpe . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . November 9, 2017. September 29, 2022.
  6. Simon. Carolyn. Fall 2017. Our Time Is Now. Equality. 7. ISSUU.
  7. News: State's only transgender elected official recognized by LGBTQ rights group. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 6, 2019 . Capelouto . J. D. .
  8. Web site: LGBTQ Vote . 17 November 2021. GLAAD . Stephe Koontz was re-elected to the Doraville, GA City Council where she will continue to serve as the only openly transgender elected official in the Southeastern United States. .
  9. Web site: Georgia Municipal Association Elects 2022–2023 Officers and Board of Directors . WRBL. 8 July 2022 .
  10. Web site: Meet the trans business owner running for Doraville City Council. Matt Hennie . September 6, 2017. Project Q Atlanta. 2019-02-05.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Stephe Koontz".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.