1. Jess Helene Herbst was born on October 14,1958 and is an American politician and transgender rights activist, who served as the mayor of New Hope, Texas, from May 2016 until May 2018.
10 Facts About Jess Herbst
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Jess Herbst became mayor of the town, which has an aldermanic form of government, in May 2016 after the previous mayor died while seeking reelection.
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Jess Herbst testified before the Texas Senate committee on State affairs against House Bill 6, known as the Bathroom bill.
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Jess Herbst returned to testify in the house hearing, waiting until 3:15am to give her testimony.
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Jess Herbst was an active participant in One Texas Resistance, a broad coalition of human rights organizations and grassroot activists.
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Jess Herbst testified first in a full day of testimony, followed third by Ashley Smith, the transgender architect who posted the famous photo of herself with Governor Greg Abbott.
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Jess Herbst recounts being drawn to women's clothing as early as three years old.
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Toward the end of September 2016, Jess Herbst began living full-time as a woman.
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At a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jess Herbst met Debbie Gray, who would eventually become her wife.
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In 2018, Herbst completed Harvard University's John F Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.