Althea Garrison facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Althea Garrison
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Official portrait, circa 1993
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| Member of the Boston City Council At-Large |
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| In office January 9, 2019 – January 6, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Ayanna Pressley |
| Succeeded by | Julia Mejia |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 5th Suffolk District |
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| In office 1993–1995 |
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| Preceded by | Nelson Merced |
| Succeeded by | Charlotte Golar Richie |
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| Born | October 7, 1940 Hahira, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Independent (1988, 2000, 2008, 2012-2015; 2017-present) Democratic (1982–1986, 1998–1999, 2010–2012) Republican (1990–1996, 2002–2006, 2016) |
| Residences | Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Newbury Junior College Suffolk University Lesley College |
| Occupation | Human Resources Politician |
Althea Garrison (born October 7, 1940) is an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. She is known for being the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature in the United States. This happened when she was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1992. However, her gender identity became public without her permission after this election.
Althea Garrison has run for political office many times. She served one term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995. Later, she also served a short time on the Boston City Council from 2019 to 2020. She has run for office as a Republican, a Democrat, and an independent candidate.
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About Althea Garrison
Althea Garrison was born in Hahira, Georgia. She was the youngest of seven children. After high school, she moved to Boston. There, she studied at Newbury Junior College and earned an associate degree. She also earned a bachelor's degree from Suffolk University and a master's degree from Lesley College. She also has a certificate from Harvard University.
In 1976, Althea Garrison officially changed her name. She worked as a clerk in human resources for the Massachusetts state government. She often used her vacation time to run for political office. She also served on the Metropolitan Area Planning Council for four years.
Althea Garrison's Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Althea Garrison first ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1982 and 1986, but she did not win. She also ran for the Boston City Council several times between 1983 and 1991. During her 1991 campaign, it was noted that she had already run for office many times.
Serving in the Massachusetts House
In 1992, Althea Garrison successfully ran for the 5th Suffolk district in the Massachusetts House. This district includes parts of Dorchester and Roxbury in Boston. Her victory was partly because she challenged the paperwork of the person who held the seat before her. This meant she did not have to run against that person in the main election. She won against her Democratic opponent, Irene Roman.
After her election, it became public that Althea Garrison was a transgender woman. She did not want this information shared at the time.
While in the Massachusetts House, Garrison often supported labor unions. She was even endorsed by many unions for her re-election campaign. She often voted with the Democratic Party members, even though she was a Republican at the time. She lost her re-election bid in 1994 to Charlotte Golar Richie.
Many Attempts to Win Office
Althea Garrison has run for political office at least 45 times. She has only won one election, which was her term in the Massachusetts House. She has sought many different roles, including seats in the Massachusetts House and Senate, Boston mayor, and Boston City Council. She has run as a Republican, a Democrat, and an independent.
Time on the Boston City Council
Althea Garrison became a member of the Boston City Council in January 2019. She took the seat that was left empty by Ayanna Pressley. Pressley had been elected to the United States House of Representatives. City rules state that if an "at-large" council seat becomes empty, the person who finished next in the previous election gets the chance to take it. Garrison was that person from the 2017 election.
Garrison had different political ideas than most other city council members. She was known as the only strong conservative on the council. She supported then-President Donald Trump and was a strong supporter of the Boston Police Department. She described herself as an "independent conservative."
As a city councilor, Garrison supported bringing back rent control in Boston. She also supported efforts to control evictions and housing prices. She was in favor of a police operation called "Operation Clean Sweep." She also proposed a resolution to support the police after a "Straight Pride Parade" in 2019. Garrison did not support a plan to charge fees for residential parking permits.
In early 2019, Garrison suggested holding a meeting about possibly stopping city payments to the MBTA (the public transportation system). This was because of problems with the MBTA's service and proposed fare increases.
City Council members can invite religious leaders to speak at meetings. Garrison invited a pastor named Roy Owens, who has spoken against LGBT rights.
Garrison ran for re-election in November 2019 but did not win. She finished seventh out of eight candidates. She encouraged voters to only vote for her, rather than for multiple candidates. In December 2019, she was one of only three councilors to vote against a plan to allow the city to charge a real estate transfer tax.
Althea Garrison's Personal Life
Althea Garrison is a transgender woman. This means she identifies as a woman, even though she was assigned male at birth. After her gender identity became public in 1992, she did not talk about it publicly for many years. In 2023, she shared that she identifies as trans and began her social and medical transition in the 1960s. Before 2023, she simply identified herself as a woman.
Garrison is also known for not using much technology. In 2018, she said, "I don't do computers, I don't do technology."
See Also
- Stacie Laughton, first out transgender person to be elected to state legislature (but resigned before being sworn in)
- Danica Roem, first out transgender person to be elected and serve in a state legislature
- List of transgender public officeholders in the United States
