Politixia
Evan Minton is one of about 10 Democratic candidates running to represent Sacramento in the State Assembly. If elected, their ascent to office could make history. Minton is known as the first-ever transgender staffer to work at the state capitol and is vying to be the state’s first-ever transgender legislator. Minton currently works as a policy advocate while also volunteering for several local causes. They have made headlines for suing Dignity Health for denying them health care, a case that reached the United States Supreme Court. The following is a one-on-one conversation with Minton. It has been edited for space and clarity. Q: What makes you think you are the best candidate in this very wide field? Minton: It’s because of my history (of) making positive transformational change for communities who need it most. I’ve worked as a capitol staffer for a number of years. I’ve worked as a policy advocate for a number of years, and in the community, I’ve partnered with so many different groups and have helped make transformational change, and delivered again and again.I’ve taken on corporate interests all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and that’s the kind of fighter that I am. I have a demonstrated track record of delivering and I know, and I know the ropes from working inside the state Capitol. I’ve worked in the regulatory, legislative side and the state budget. I know how to deliver for our community. Q: As a policy advocate, what are some of the things you are most focused on? Minton: One of the issues is economic security for all people. For me, that includes access to health care, affordable, quality health care, and also affordability. It’s not a surprise the Sacramento region is suffering from an affordability crisis. That’s something I’ve been working on for years now as a community member or policy advocate.I really don’t believe that life expectancy should be determined by ZIP code. That’s something I truly believe we need to address. Climate change is an existential crisis of our time. I’ll be prioritizing that every single day. In addition to that, I will continue my fight for LGBTQ+ rights and protections. Q: You were the first transgender capitol staffer. What was that journey like and how has that has helped you become the candidate you are today? Minton: Yeah I am, and it’s been an interesting journey. I joke that it’s been the best of times and the worst of times. That journey was not without some hardships. It’s a struggle sometimes to be the person you are, that you want to be and you know what you are. During that time, I educated so many people around me, trans people were not in the public eye for better or for worse back then. I also never anticipated all of the love and support from people: cafeteria workers, legislators and colleagues, including the Speaker at the time, John Perez, who I’m proud to have the endorsement of in this race. I’ve been so lucky to be able to pave roads for others. That’s what I’ll be doing in policy work as well, is making life easier for others, and I’m grateful to have been in that position. Q: You would be the first transgender state legislator in California should you get elected. Do you think it’s taken too long for California to have a representative like you in state government? Minton: Other states have trans-elected legislators. For me, it’s time for us to catch up. There’s a quote: “If you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu.” I’ve done a lot of great work for the LGBTQ+ community, here locally, also at the state level. When I was discriminated against by my local hospital, Dignity Health, for being trans, they denied me health care. I took my fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court. That’s the kind of fighter that I am. That’s the kind of fighter that I’m going to be for District 6 and all Californians. Also for me, if you’re not at the table, you’re an afterthought. And with the political climate that we’re in today, we need to be at the table, so while I’m going to be delivering for trans kids and making sure they feel safe and that they feel seen and that they know I have their back in the state Legislature. Q: This interview comes at a time when there are discussions within the LGBTQ Caucus to address some local school districts moving forward with parental notification policies if a student is not identifying with the gender that’s on their birth certificate. What do you make of these policies, what is the Legislature’s role in all of this? Minton: Most families are safe. If a kid feels safe, they’re going to come out to their parents, but it takes a lot for kids to come to terms with who they are. And we need our kids to feel safe. We need our communities to feel safe. The way to do that is not to out a kid. If a kid feels safe, they’re going to let their parents know and most kids do. They want their parents to know. They want that supportive environment. It’s the kids who don’t feel safe, who don’t have that safety at home who are going to be at risk. Forcibly outing a kid to unsafe parents is unsafe so the Legislature and state of California have a role in making sure that all Californians are safe and that particularly our kids are safe. I’m going to be strongly helping with that effort. Q: On homelessness and housing, what would be the ideas you bring to the table in the legislature? Minton: It’s the same things that I’ve been working on in terms of affordable housing and homelessness. I’m really proud of my track record. As a commissioner on the Sacramento Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission, I did a lot of work in this regard. As a policy advocate, I’ve done a lot of work on keeping people in their homes and in the local community as well. I’ve done a lot of work on homelessness. There are so many different angles to approach this. We need to build more housing. We need housing at all income levels. We need to prevent people from falling into homelessness, to begin with. In terms of meeting people where they are, we need to make sure they have the right services.Whether they have fallen into homelessness because of an unaffordable health care bill or rent payment, we need to make sure people have the security in order to not fall into these cracks. In addition to that, we need to make sure we have enough services, whether that’s mental health services, drug and alcohol services — it doesn’t matter to me if addiction happened before or after they went onto the streets. What we need to do is take care of them now. That means getting them shelter and the services they need. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done on our respite centers. It used to be weather-based criteria and as any Sacramentan knows, our unhoused community members were dying on the streets due to those policies. I had been advocating for years to get that changed so that our unhoused community could go to seek shelter from storms, very hot weather, and freezing temperatures to have them open 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout our cities. I’m very glad to see that policy shifted. At the state level, I’ve worked on tenant protections, including making sure landlords will accept housing vouchers. We need to be funding affordable. We need to be making sure Section 8 housing vouchers and other veterans housing vouchers are accepted and that form of payment can be accepted. I’m really anxious to continue my long line of work in this arena as a legislator. Q: What do you make of this many people vying for this seat? Minton: I think it’s wonderful, this is what democracy is all about. If you have a calling to serve, you should run. I am running because I have a calling in my heart to serve.
Evan Minton is one of about 10 Democratic candidates running to represent Sacramento in the State Assembly. If elected, their ascent to office could make history.
Minton is known as the first-ever transgender staffer to work at the state capitol and is vying to be the state’s first-ever transgender legislator. Minton currently works as a policy advocate while also volunteering for several local causes. They have made headlines for suing Dignity Health for denying them health care, a case that reached the United States Supreme Court.
The following is a one-on-one conversation with Minton. It has been edited for space and clarity.
Q: What makes you think you are the best candidate in this very wide field?
Minton: It’s because of my history (of) making positive transformational change for communities who need it most. I’ve worked as a capitol staffer for a number of years. I’ve worked as a policy advocate for a number of years, and in the community, I’ve partnered with so many different groups and have helped make transformational change, and delivered again and again.
I’ve taken on corporate interests all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and that’s the kind of fighter that I am. I have a demonstrated track record of delivering and I know, and I know the ropes from working inside the state Capitol. I’ve worked in the regulatory, legislative side and the state budget. I know how to deliver for our community.
Q: As a policy advocate, what are some of the things you are most focused on?
Minton: One of the issues is economic security for all people. For me, that includes access to health care, affordable, quality health care, and also affordability. It’s not a surprise the Sacramento region is suffering from an affordability crisis. That’s something I’ve been working on for years now as a community member or policy advocate.
I really don’t believe that life expectancy should be determined by ZIP code. That’s something I truly believe we need to address. Climate change is an existential crisis of our time. I’ll be prioritizing that every single day. In addition to that, I will continue my fight for LGBTQ+ rights and protections.
Q: You were the first transgender capitol staffer. What was that journey like and how has that has helped you become the candidate you are today?
Minton: Yeah I am, and it’s been an interesting journey. I joke that it’s been the best of times and the worst of times. That journey was not without some hardships. It’s a struggle sometimes to be the person you are, that you want to be and you know what you are.
During that time, I educated so many people around me, trans people were not in the public eye for better or for worse back then. I also never anticipated all of the love and support from people: cafeteria workers, legislators and colleagues, including the Speaker at the time, John Perez, who I’m proud to have the endorsement of in this race.
I’ve been so lucky to be able to pave roads for others. That’s what I’ll be doing in policy work as well, is making life easier for others, and I’m grateful to have been in that position.
Q: You would be the first transgender state legislator in California should you get elected. Do you think it’s taken too long for California to have a representative like you in state government?
Minton: Other states have trans-elected legislators. For me, it’s time for us to catch up. There’s a quote: “If you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu.” I’ve done a lot of great work for the LGBTQ+ community, here locally, also at the state level. When I was discriminated against by my local hospital, Dignity Health, for being trans, they denied me health care. I took my fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court. That’s the kind of fighter that I am. That’s the kind of fighter that I’m going to be for District 6 and all Californians.
Also for me, if you’re not at the table, you’re an afterthought. And with the political climate that we’re in today, we need to be at the table, so while I’m going to be delivering for trans kids and making sure they feel safe and that they feel seen and that they know I have their back in the state Legislature.
Q: This interview comes at a time when there are discussions within the LGBTQ Caucus to address some local school districts moving forward with parental notification policies if a student is not identifying with the gender that’s on their birth certificate. What do you make of these policies, what is the Legislature’s role in all of this?
Minton: Most families are safe. If a kid feels safe, they’re going to come out to their parents, but it takes a lot for kids to come to terms with who they are. And we need our kids to feel safe. We need our communities to feel safe. The way to do that is not to out a kid. If a kid feels safe, they’re going to let their parents know and most kids do. They want their parents to know. They want that supportive environment. It’s the kids who don’t feel safe, who don’t have that safety at home who are going to be at risk.
Forcibly outing a kid to unsafe parents is unsafe so the Legislature and state of California have a role in making sure that all Californians are safe and that particularly our kids are safe. I’m going to be strongly helping with that effort.
Q: On homelessness and housing, what would be the ideas you bring to the table in the legislature?
Minton: It’s the same things that I’ve been working on in terms of affordable housing and homelessness. I’m really proud of my track record. As a commissioner on the Sacramento Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission, I did a lot of work in this regard.
As a policy advocate, I’ve done a lot of work on keeping people in their homes and in the local community as well. I’ve done a lot of work on homelessness. There are so many different angles to approach this. We need to build more housing. We need housing at all income levels. We need to prevent people from falling into homelessness, to begin with. In terms of meeting people where they are, we need to make sure they have the right services.
Whether they have fallen into homelessness because of an unaffordable health care bill or rent payment, we need to make sure people have the security in order to not fall into these cracks.
In addition to that, we need to make sure we have enough services, whether that’s mental health services, drug and alcohol services — it doesn’t matter to me if addiction happened before or after they went onto the streets. What we need to do is take care of them now. That means getting them shelter and the services they need. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done on our respite centers. It used to be weather-based criteria and as any Sacramentan knows, our unhoused community members were dying on the streets due to those policies. I had been advocating for years to get that changed so that our unhoused community could go to seek shelter from storms, very hot weather, and freezing temperatures to have them open 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout our cities. I’m very glad to see that policy shifted.
At the state level, I’ve worked on tenant protections, including making sure landlords will accept housing vouchers. We need to be funding affordable. We need to be making sure Section 8 housing vouchers and other veterans housing vouchers are accepted and that form of payment can be accepted. I’m really anxious to continue my long line of work in this arena as a legislator.
Q: What do you make of this many people vying for this seat?
Minton: I think it’s wonderful, this is what democracy is all about. If you have a calling to serve, you should run. I am running because I have a calling in my heart to serve.
