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Who is Leigh Finke? Trans Minnesota legislator wins ‘Women of the Year’ after just 3 MONTHS on the job

American lawmaker Leigh Finke has been a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023

WASHINGTON DC: Minnesota's first transgender lawmaker is now one of USA Today's 'Women of the Year.' State Representative Leigh Finke was recognized as one of a select group of "local and national heroines who make a positive impact in their communities every day," along with celebrities like Goldie Hawn, Col Nicole Mann, and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Finke, who underwent gender change in 2017, is the second transgender woman to be named to the list after President Biden's Assistant Secretary of Health, Rachel Levine in 2022. Following her contentious inclusion on the list, she admitted on Wednesday that "hate has increased exponentially," with detractors branding it "an arrogant attack on women."

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Who is Leigh Finke? 

American lawmaker Leigh Finke has been a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. Finke, a representative for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), is from the Twin Cities metropolitan area's District 66A, which encompasses Ramsey County, Minnesota's Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Roseville, and Saint Paul. Finke, who was born in Minnesota graduated from Bethel University with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature in 2003 and from DePaul University with a Master of Arts in Shakespeare. She served as an adjunct professor at Normandale Community College and DePaul University from 2007 to 2008. From 2011 to 2015, Finke engaged in renewable energy policy advocacy. She also worked as a reporter for Yes! from 2013 to 2019, covering the intersection of social justice groups and popular culture, as per Wikipedia.

Finke created and produced two documentary films, 'Ending the Silence: Confronting Sexual Shame in the Church' and 'White Savior: Racism in the American Church,' during her tenure as Sr Producer. She also edited two non-fiction works for Beaming Books, 'Queerfully and Wonderfully Made' and 'Welcoming and Affirming.' She served as a multimedia storyteller for the ACLU of Minnesota in 2021 and 2022. 'White Savior: Racism in the American Church' and 'Ending the Silence: Confronting Sexual Shame in the Church' were two documentaries she developed and produced while serving as a senior producer. She openly criticized Scott Jensen, a Republican running for governor in 2022, for circulating false rumors about transphobic litter boxes in schools.

Why was she awarded?

Finke "has been an activist for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as Black Lives Matter, almost her whole life," USA Today claimed in its local profile on her, despite the fact that she was only recently elected and never planned to compete for office. After her transition, the paper claimed, that hit "a lot closer to home," adding that "national and coordinated attacks against the rights of transgender people and others in her community motivated her to be the representation Minnesota was lacking."

'Nobody who’s trans has ever been here before'

"In November … Finke became the first transgender legislator appointed to the Minnesota House of Representatives after winning 81% of the vote in her district,” the profile claimed. "I know what it means to want to find someone in office who is like you," Finke stated to the publication. "I want to do many things across many issues, but at the end of the day, the reason I’m here is because nobody who’s trans has ever been here before."

'What will ever be left for biological females?'

"As an elected [official], I recognize that I just got here," Finke said in a tweet about the honor. "The faith that has been put in my (sic) by my district, by the queer community, and by my colleagues at the capitol has been life-giving." Nevertheless, a number of well-known politicians have come out against the choice to recognize the lawmaker. Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who worked under the Trump administration, posed the question on Fox News on Tuesday: "What will ever be left for biological females?" "What does it take for a conservative woman to get on a list like this?" she added.

Guy Benson, a Fox News commentator, responded a little in opposition, saying that Finke shouldn't be included among the examples of biological and transgender women who merit praise for their achievements. He calls her selection merely a "political statement." "This is about, ‘there’s a culture war, there’s a big controversy around trans issues, so let’s find some and put them on these lists to make a statement'," Benson stated, as reported by TPU.

'Political Circus'

Finke's win was poorly received by many online users. A person tweeted, "But that is NOT a woman …". Another wrote, "Political Circus". "Biological males continue to suppress the accomplishments of real women all for the sake of woke politics," remarked another user. One user commented, "Disgrace!!" "So now men wanting to be women are taking the awards that should go to biological women. Most women I know are pissed about this," remarked another person. One wrote, "Men are proving to be better women, misogyny at its best."

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