Lisa Bunker spent decades looking for her lucky break as a writer – and she doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that the break came soon after she came out as a transgender woman. For Lisa, being a writer is as integral to her sense of self as being transgender. For 30 years, Lisa worked in public broadcasting, most recently as a Program Director of the community radio station in Portland, Maine. She has enjoyed the freedom to choose her work. But she can’t choose whether or not she’ll face discrimination because she is transgender. That’s why comprehensive nondiscrimination laws are important. Lisa encourages those who may not know a transgender person to interact with them and learn their stories.

“Get to know someone,” Lisa said. “We transgender folk, we’re just regular human beings. We are no danger to anyone. Fear grows out of newness and not knowing. It’s a lot easier to talk back to your fear once you see someone as human.” In 2017, Lisa was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.