Joanne Conte
1933-2013
Joanne Marie Conte is considered to be the first openly transgender person to be elected to a city council in the U.S. She served on Arvada’s City Council from 1991-1995.
Conte was a self-declared “raging activist” and focused heavily on citizen outreach during her term. She sought to make government happenings accessible to the public, so citizens could make more informed political decisions. Her actions as councilwoman show her belief in the value of citizens in government and a passion for openness and transparency.
Despite being candid in her politics, Conte was very secretive about her past. This made her adversaries suspicious enough to hire a private investigator who dug up evidence of Conte’s name change and gender confirming surgery, which was then leaked to the newspaper, Westword. Word got to Conte that the paper was planning to run a front-page article outing her as transgender and she was forced to make the announcement herself before they could. The revelation destroyed Conte’s political career, though she admitted she was relieved to no longer have to live in secrecy and felt that she helped pave the way for other transwomen in politics.
In 1994, Conte submitted a petition to run as an Independent candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives, but was denied a spot on the ballot by then Secretary of State, Natalie Meyer. Conte filed an appeal with the Supreme Court and, in the case of Conte v. Meyer, it was determined Conte would appear on the ballot by a ruling of 5-2. She lost the election, largely due to the ridicule she was facing for her gender from her adversary’s supporters during the campaign. Before leaving office, Conte audited the city budget and convinced the Council to
cut out non-essential services in response to Arvada’s declining revenue.
Though her political career was over, Conte continued to be a strong activist. She began her career in radio broadcasting with 850 KOA but quit after only a few episodes due to transmisogynistic advertising for her broadcast. Her show was promoted by ads which asked “Is it a man? Is it a woman?” After only a few episodes, Conte left for KGNU radio, which was much better suited to her passion for politics and activism. There, she broadcast news segments and weekly call-in shows, reporting on news and issues that were overlooked by other news sources and continuing to fight for those whose voices were going unheard.