In the Houston neighborhood of Montrose, a gay and lesbian-friendly place that locals call "the gayborhood," I met Rebekah Lee. She walked up to me, put her hand on my shoulder, and asked if I was there to cover the canvassing event. What I didn't know is that she was also slapping a "GLBT-for-Obama" sticker on my back -- which came as a surprise to me later.
But that was nothing compared to what came next.
Lee wasn't always an Obama supporter; in fact, she didn't always identify with the Democratic Party. From 1989 to 1993, Lee served as the 49th District of Montana's representative to the state legislature.
Back then her name was Tom, and he was a Republican. Not just any Republican, Lee told me, but one who was "a raging homophobe".
"It's really hard for me to imagine that I was ever that way," Lee said, her voice breaking and tears swelling in her eyes, "God it's really hard, it was so wrong and so hurtful."
While in office, Tom Lee was approached by human rights activist and lobbyist Christine Kaufmann. Kaufmann, now a state senator in Montana, asked Lee to support a bill that would extend equal rights to include sexual orientation.
"She said I'd really like to have your support," remembered Lee, "but I said I'm sorry Christine I just can't do it."
But wait, there's more: "Not only did I turn her down," Lee added, "but I sponsored the amendment that would outlaw anything gay and lesbian in the state of Montana."
A year ago, after her transformation to Rebekah, Lee met with Kaufmann and apologized for not supporting the legislation at the time.
"She emailed me using the name Tom," said Kaufmann when I called her at her Montana home. "We arranged to meet at a local restaurant. She appeared and I think kind of enjoyed the surprise."
"I met with Christine and the first thing that she lies down on the table is the copy of the Helena Independent Record," remembered Lee. "And it was there, Rep. Tom Lee sponsors amendment...I apologized to her for ever doing that."
Kaufmann offered her thoughts on the conversation with Lee.
"It's disheartening to me that people who are struggling with any issue around identity wouldn't be open and free to explore these issues, that they wouldn't be open to supporting equality," she said. "It's just a crime to society."
For Lee it was a difficult personal journey.
"I had to cross all of these bridges within myself," she said, "because these were all part of who I had grown to be, the way I was raised and the cultural values put into me."
Kaufmann said that the Tom Lee she petitioned to back in 1991 was extremely conservative. "He was just so locked in," she said.
"I was like a raging homophobe at that time in my life. When I started to transition, everything changed. It's just like walking out of a dark closet with light and I was just like 'Wow, okay yeah I get it'," she said.
Lee traveled from Bellingham, WA, to Texas as a volunteer for the Obama campaign in advance of the March 4 primary.
"I wasn't sure this was the right place for me to come help out, with Texas being Texas," she told me. However after a phone call from a friend, Lee decided to fly down and join the effort.
As a volunteer, Lee helped get out the vote through phone banking and putting canvas packets together.
She recently returned to the Pacific Northwest from the Virgin Islands, and in the Washington caucuses on February 9 was elected a delegate to the county convention.
"I'm going to try to be a GLBT delegate as far as I can go up in the state of Washington," she said.
Lee has donated a lot of volunteer time to the Democratic Party both up in Washington and in Texas. She said she'll be returning to Bellingham on Thursday, but added with a grin "that is unless Barack gets me a cabinet position of course."
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.