Gray Ellis wants to be the first trans man to be a state senator in the U.S.

As possibly the first transgender man to run for political office in North Carolina, Gray Ellis knows that in his race for state senate, his identity means something.

“I understand what it’s like to feel like an outsider,” said Ellis in his campaign video, “to question whether I’ll be accepted for simply being who I am. I’m a trans man… I’m one of the voices not heard in North Carolina politics. It’s imperative to have a voice of reason and knowledge representing you, a voice who understands how it feels to be marginalized.”

For Ellis, who is running in North Carolina’s 20th district, being out and open is crucial.

“If we don’t come out and let people know,” he told LGBTQ Nation, “then people’s hearts and minds are not likely to change.”

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