Nation's First Transgender Legislator Eyes Comeback

NASHUA, N.H. – Stacie Laughton made national headlines when, in 2012, she became the country's first transgender legislator. Her term quickly ended, however, when a past conviction surfaced and sunk her eligibility to serve as a state representative.

Laughton refuses to give up, even after the state's Ballot Law Commission ruled this week that she is not eligible to be a candidate again for another four years.

Laughton for State Rep – 2018?

That is her intent, Laughton said in an interview with Nashua Patch. "It's a lifelong dream and a passion to be involved in government," she said July 1.

Laughton won election to the state House of Representatives in 2012, only to resign after a past conviction for credit card fraud surfaced in Laconia from 2008, when she was living as a man, Barry C. Laughton Jr.

Laughton is transexual, meaning she identifies as a female, as Nashua Patch reported in 2012. Laughton further explained her challenges, and her passion to serve, in a segment on Access Nashua with Rep. Ken Gidge.

Laughton said she went before the Ballot Law Commission to get a clear determination of when she would be eligible to run again. The eligibility hinges on 10 years good behavior, she said after sitting through the BLC meeting in Concord.

"I knew that was a possibility going in," she said.

Laughton, who has worked as a building manager and a janitor, said she continues to get encouragement from fellow Nashua residents. And that is why, despite being on the losing side of a Ballot Law Commission ruling, she remains upbeat.