This lawyer could become the first trans male judge in the US
A lawyer from Pennsylvania could become the first out trans male judge in the US.
Henry Sias, 40, who was born in Michigan, is running for a position in the Philadelphia Court of Common Please.
Sias must win in a primary election which takes place this week on 16 May.
A graduate of Yale Law School, Sias recently opened up about why his candidacy is groundbreaking.
He said he needed to be open about his trans identity and how it can help the US legal system if he wins.
Speaking to Huffington Post, Sias said: “It can’t get more awkward” than speaking to potential voters about his trans status.
He adds that he feels it necessary to be open about being trans because “in the age of Google, you don’t have the option not to.”
When asked why he feels it necessary to proactively talk about his identity, Sias says that “you can either control how it comes out or you can let somebody else control it.”
“I think it’s really, really important that we have people who are trans, who are visible, and who can demonstrate to younger trans people that there is a great future out there for them,’ he continued.
Sias goes on to say that he hopes to help with trans issues in general, and to inspire others to “spread their wings” and to go on to have a “beautiful career”.
He goes on to say that he thinks “having transgender people involved in the legal system in the courts in government helps to push back against systemic discrimination.”
In his other experience, Sias has been a clerk for a number of notable judges as well as being the co-founder of the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity.
If elected to the position, Sias would be the first trans male judge in the US.
Back in 2010, Judge Victoria Kolakowsi was elected as the first out trans judge in the US.
But earlier this year, travelling to attend a speaking engagement, the trans woman was denied entry to India.
Also in Texas, Phyllis Frye, who is also trans, serves as an associate judge in the Municipal Court of Houstan, Texas.
