Donna Milo hopes to be republican nominee for D-20
Cuban-American Donna Milo, 48, has her sights on Congress and hopes to unseat U.S. Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston. And while Wasserman is considered a far-to-the-left liberal, Milo is an unapologetically conservative and a transgender woman.
But as she says, “I don’t like labels.”
Instead, Milo believes in her actions speaking volumes in terms of who she is and what she represents.
“I am an American . . . my triumphs are based on my abilities, not on a label or a crutch,” she adds.
Milo’s story is indeed typical of the immigrant family that moves to the U.S. for greater opportunities and the realization of their dreams. She was born ‘Ed’ and the youngest of nine children in Cuba. Her family immigrated to Miami in 1964 and to Ft. Lauderdale four years later. Then months before graduating from Stranahan High School, Ed Milo quit school to help the family — her father, an auto mechanic was ill and money was short.
Milo then studied to become a contractor, eventually became a home builder and even married his high school sweetheart at the age of 19. Their children, Michael and Emily are now 25 and 22. But Milo admits that there was always something that nagged at her from inside.
The Transition Begins
“I identified feelings as far back as I could remember,” she said. “I didn’t have an awareness that there was such a thing until very late in my teen years. I thought I was alone.”
Then in the 1990s, Milo sought medical and psychological advice, and, after telling then-wife Isabel, began her transition. She would divorce, live three years as a woman and in 2000 legally became Donna, shortly thereafter undergoing gender-reassignment surgery. “
After I transitioned and became at peace with myself and my life and my body, I’ve been able to give time to the community,” she said.
Milo would indeed become involved in her Miami Shorecrest neighborhood, joining the city’s Planning Advisory Board five years ago before recently deciding to run for the House of Representatives for the 20th C o n g r e s s i o n a l District. The district includes parts of Miami, Weston, Plantation and Wilton Manors.
The issues don’t include gay rights Milo has been busy over the past month, speaking at the A v i e / C o o p e r Republican Club, the Republican Jewish Coalition Meeting in Plantation, the Republican Business Network Meeting in Coral Springs and various clusters of the Florida Federation of Republican Women.
Some have said she didn’t believe that a transgender woman was running for office but have discovered that this lady means business.
“The people are my first and foremost priority,” she says in her mission statement, as posted on her website, www.donnamilo. com. “I will make decisions and act based on your input and the public interest, not on any personal or special interest agenda.”
Reviewing Milo’s campaign issues are illustrative of a hard core, conservative and despite her avoiding labels, it is clear that is where her heart lies.
She is opposed to higher taxes and favors a simplified tax code, believes that the U.S. should take control of its borders and implement more effective immigration measures, wants to see the insurance industry deregulated, is a staunch pro life advocate and wants to see an end to the country’s dependence on foreign oil. In addition, she says she would never vote for any form of stimulus or bailout and is, perhaps most surprisingly, believes that the rights of marriage should only be extended to “a man and a woman.” The campaign trail is still ahead.
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Great news! In 20 years, once critical mass is reached as to not only the perception of normalcy relating to gender transition-ers but the observation that achieving gender/body equilibrium produces a self-actualized male or female, transgender is a word that will be phased out of the lexicon. Gender transition will simply be a non-issue once people understand that it is a physical (remedy is physical) and not a mental issue. The mind is just fine—its the body that didn’t follow. Aside from our born gender incongruency, we come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and intellect. No more and no less. Just like all females, we are represented by hookers, mainstream employees, and professionals in all occupations. We range in beauty from Ewoks (per Bill O’reilly) to some more gorgeous than most females. I think the reason most people are negative about us is because, although we were acutely dissatisfied with our birth gender beginning in childhood, we simply were not provided the opportunity or did not know how to do something about it before puberty. Now, children have hormone blockers available and eventually I have no doubt, all children will be screened independently so that they can go thru puberty and come out the other end as all women or all men. I am fortunate in that I need no facial surgery at all—just electrolysis. I also have served in the military/USAF where at the age of 20, my secret gender issue reared its head but I quickly put it back in the closet. I have served in L.E. at the federal/military, State, and County levels in California. I have paid the sacrificial price with loss of family, termination from a comm.hospital in Victorville from stress induced after I was asked by my security supervisor if I was wearing makeup and I erred in trusting to tell him more. Essentially I was hired for my skills but fired for my gender (indirectly). After I told him that I was in transition, informing him that my ID showed my gender as female, he immediately labeled me a “safety hazard” which began the slippery slope to my termination. It is so sad that in America, where we profess to be the leader in civil rights, veterans such as myself undergoing legal transitions have to be in essence induced to resign. This is beyond tragic. It shows the world that we say one thing but do another. Congratulations to Donna! Go girl! You are so cute, adorable and full of grit! I wish I lived in Florida so I couldvote for you!
Why should we give that guy any respect at all if he doesn’t want to give us any in return.
He can put on a dress and a wig all he wants… he’ll never be a woman. Maybe he figures THIS is his way of marrying his boyfriend since he doesn’t believe in equality for gay people.
Screw him.
He can wear all the makeup he wants, he still looka likea man. And one that’s very ugly on the inside, too.
But I’m sure his friends in the GOP will show him the door soon enough.
Well, it will be certainly interesting if she gets the GOP nomination. One out of four gay voters are typically Republican, although one-out-of three gays voted for McCain in 2008.
If she gets the GOP nomination she should garner a noticeable amount of gay voters.
You know, people like PhoenixisRising really piss me off, because they don’t know what in the hell they are talking about. A transexual undergoes hormon therapy which creates REAL changes in one’s body that are both physical and psychological. To say that being transexual is merely doning “a dress and wig,” reveals much ignorance. Some transexuals, like me, are actually intersexed, having male and female physical characteristics. I wish these critics would do their research instead of throwing out opinions that have no merit.
Screw that Beezy!
I wouldn’t vote for her for a minute. This has nothing to do with the fact that she is a transgender. This has to do with the fact that she does not believe in equal rights for gays. Of all people, she should know what it is like to singled out and shame on her for not standing up for the gay community. Love is not about gender, it’s about the desire to want to be with another person regrdless of which organ they were born with.
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Pat
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