Meet Geo Neptune, Maine's First Transgender, Nonbinary, Two-Spirit Elected Official
"I feel very lucky that I live in a place where my community accepts me because a lot of trans people don't have that."
Courtesy of the subject.
Geo Neptune quietly made history last week after winning a seat on the local school board.
Neptune, who is nonbinary and Two-Spirit, was elected to represent the Indian Township School District in a landslide victory. The top three vote-getters all earned spots on the school board for Indian Township, which comprises tribal lands belonging to the Passamaquoddy tribe in Eastern Maine, and Neptune earned about half of all ballots cast in the race.
The position might seem like a relatively modest one, representing a population of 718 people along the Canadian border, but it represents a major milestone for Maine. Neptune's win makes them the first transgender person elected to public office in the Pine Tree State's history.
Prior to last week's vote, Neptune also said they were the "first Two-Spirit person to run for any kind of office" in either Indian Township or the state at large.
"I mention this because it is a big part of who I am," they said in a statement posted to Facebook. "Being transgender and nonbinary is part of who I am, and part of who you would be electing, should you select my name."
In an interview with Maine Public Radio, Neptune said they were inspired to run for the school board at the urging of friends and fellow community members. The 32-year-old is an educator, storyteller, and activist, in addition to being a skilled basket weaver and drag performer. Neptune has been performing in drag shows as "Lyzz Bien" since their freshman year at Dartmouth University.
Neptune, who has previously taught art in afterschool programs, hopes to use their position to create greater access to the language and culture of the Passamaquoddy people. (The tribe consists of around 3,500 members.)
"The education system treats our own culture as supplementary, as an extracurricular activity that the kids are allowed to do, instead of treating Passamaquoddy culture and history as one of the main priorities in the education system," Neptune told Maine Public Radio.
Although Neptune is the first trans person in Maine's history to win election, they aren't the first to run for office. In 2019, Bre Kidman — a nonbinary activist and burlesque performer based in Portland — competed against eventual winner Sara Gideon in the Democratic primary to take on U.S. Senator Susan Collins. Kidman finished in third in a three-way race, garnering just 5.6 percent of the overall vote.
Quinn Gormley, executive director of the community organization MainTransNet, said one of the exciting things about Neptune's election is that it happened in an area where many people may not be aware that they know an LGBTQ+ person. Gormley suggested it could help change perceptions about rural life.
"We expect these electoral victories to happen in Portland, but often small communities are more willing to embrace whole identities," Gormley told Maine Public Radio.
In comments to Bangor Daily News, Neptune added that they hope their community views the milestone as a moment of affirmation.
"To almost stand up and say that they're embracing me in this leadership role as a Two-Spirit was incredibly affirming," they said. "I feel very lucky that I live in a place where my community accepts me because a lot of trans people don't have that."
Tagspoliticsnonbinarytwo-spirittransgender
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