A lifelong Republican transitions to a new party, years after gender reassignment surgery

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A decade ago, Jessie McGrath began a physical transition to make her body match her gender identity. More recently, she underwent a political transformation.

A veteran, NRA member and lifelong Republican, McGrath stuck with her political leanings even after starting gender reassignment surgeries in 2014 at the age of 53. Then Donald Trump and his opposition to gender reassignment surgery changed her mind.

“The Trump campaign and his history show he is no friend of trans people,” she told The Associated Press.

McGrath grew up on a family farm in Max, Nebraska, a rural town in the state’s southwestern corner that was home to just 149 people in 2022, according to Census data.

Article URL: https://apnews.com/article/republican-democrat-trump-harris-transgender-3ab691b76a57b741732930da465ff4b1