JORDAN
EVANS
25
If we’ve learned anything from this election season, it’s that many Americans—on both sides of the aisle—aren’t listening to voices from outside their existing comfort zone. “Many people live in an echo chamber,” said Evans. Not she. Evans is a transgender woman and a young Republican who wants to build bridges between her LGBT community and a party that struggles to embrace queer issues. According to recent statistics from GLAAD, only 16 percent of Americans personally know someone who is transgender— and Evans believes that visibility is key to progress. “The best way to change hearts and minds is getting to know hearts and minds.” She has seen evidence of that in action. Evans lives in Charlton, Massachusetts, one of the state’s more “conservative” towns, she says. Yet she has emerged as a popular public servant wearing many hats. She is recording secretary for the Charlton Republican Town Committee, the Republican member of the Registrar of Voters, town constable and vice-chairwoman of the Charlton Public Library’s board of trustees. “As Tip O’Neill said, all politics is local,” said Evans. To that end, Evans helped make the library’s bathroom gender-neutral even before Massachusetts passed its transgender public accommodations bill. Evans advocated strongly for that bill, working with organizations like Freedom Massachusetts to lobby lawmakers. “I was able to meet with Republican legislators and talk [MORE ON 46]
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