Barbra Casbar Siperstein
Barbra Casbar Siperstein | |
---|---|
Born | Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. | November 30, 1942
Died | February 3, 2019 | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Rutgers University Pace University |
Occupation(s) | Political and transgender rights activist |
Known for | first openly transgender member of the Democratic National Committee |
Notable work | helped write the Dallas Principles Responsible for the Babs Siperstein Law in NJ 2019 |
Spouse | Carol (Slonk) Siperstein |
Partner | Dorothy Crouch[1] |
Children | Jana Siperstein-Szucs Jeffrey Siperstein Jared Siperstein |
Parent(s) | Morris and Mildred (Yanover) Siperstein |
Barbra Casbar Siperstein (November 20, 1942 – February 3, 2019), commonly known as Babs Siperstein, was an American political and
Biography
Siperstein was born November 20,[4] 1942[5] to Morris and Mildred (Yanover) Siperstein[1] and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey.[6]
She attended Rutgers University, where she earned a bachelor's degree, and then earned a master's of business administration in public accounting from Pace University.[1] After college, Siperstein joined the family business, Siperstein Fords Paint Corporation, in Fords, New Jersey, where she met her wife, Carol Slonk, when Slonk joined the company as an administrative assistant.[1] The couple had three children: a daughter, Jana Siperstein-Szucs; and two sons, Jeffrey and Jared Siperstein.[1]
Barbra Siperstein knew from early childhood that she was different, but did not fully recognize she was transgender until middle age.
Carol died in 2001.
Career and activism
Prior to transitioning, Siperstein served in the Army and was a small-business owner.[2] Siperstein advocated for marriage equality, workplace discrimination reforms, and amendments to discrimination laws in order to better protect transgender people. She also advocated for making gender equality an important part of any political LGBT agenda.[7] She was one of 24 authors that helped write the Dallas Principles in 2009.[9]
Siperstein was President and a board member of the New Jersey
In 2009, Siperstein became the first openly transgender member of the DNC, where she was appointed by then-chairman Tim Kaine. She was appointed to the Democratic National Committee's Executive Committee in 2011, where she served until October 2017, when she and several other DNC officials were demoted or removed.[11][13] In the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Siperstein was a superdelegate for Hillary Clinton.[14] As of 2016, she was one of 28 openly transgender delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.[15]
Siperstein contributed to the
Death and tributes
Siperstein died of cancer on February 3, 2019, in New Brunswick, New Jersey at age 76.[1][17] New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy ordered that flags be lowered to half staff in honor of her death.[18]
In June 2019, Siperstein was one of the inaugural fifty American “pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes” inducted on the
References
- ^ a b c d e f Roberts, Sam (8 February 2019). "Barbra Siperstein, Crusader for Transgender Rights, Dies at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Giambusso, David (2012-09-02). "N.J. woman to break new ground as first elected transgender DNC member".
- ^ a b Lavin, Enrique (2016-05-05). "N.J. transgender leader: Pocketbooks will decide winner in toilet debate".
- ^ "Opinion: Reflections on Transgender Day of Remembrance, 2014". Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
- ^ Executive Order No. 54
- ^ a b c d e Rubin, Debra. "A new Hebrew name, a new identity: Synagogue ceremony marks transsexual's emotional journey". New Jersey Jewish News. Archived from the original on 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Brownworth, Victoria (10 October 2012). "Barbra Casbar Siperstein: Breaking ground in N.J., nationally". Windy City Times. Windy City Times.
- ^ a b "The Heroines of My Life: Interview With Babs Siperstein". The Heroines of My Life. 2013-05-26.
- ^ Reichman, Jodi. "Barbra Casbar Siperstein". T-House. Archived from the original on 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- ^ Lavers, Michael (2013-01-08). "National Stonewall Democrats curtails operations". Washington Blade.
- ^ a b "American Conference on Diversity Pays Tribute to NJ's Gender-Rights Advocate "Babs" Siperstein". American Conference on Diversity. 2015-02-25.
- ^ Aregood, JT (2016-04-20). "The 15 Most Influential LGBT Advocates in NJ Politics". Observer.
- ^ Sitz-Wald, Alex (October 19, 2017). "Shake-Up at Democratic National Committee, Longtime Officials Ousted". NBC News. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ Catalini, Michael. "Clinton earning superdelegate support in New Jersey". Associated Press.
- ^ Siperstein, Barbra (2016-07-19). "DNC Transgender Delegates Double Participation In 2016". The Huffington Post.
- ^ Siperstein, Barbra. "Barbra Casbar Siperstein". The Huffington Post.
- ^ Siperstein, Barbra (4 February 2019). "GSE mourns the death of Barbra Casbar Siperstein". Garden State Equality. Garden State Equality.
- ^ "Governor Murphy Directs U.S. and New Jersey Flags to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of Barbra "Babs" Casbar Siperstein". Office of the Governor, New Jersey. New Jersey. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
- ^ Glasses-Baker, Becca (June 27, 2019). "National LGBTQ Wall of Honor unveiled at Stonewall Inn". www.metro.us. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
- ^ Rawles, Timothy (2019-06-19). "National LGBTQ Wall of Honor to be unveiled at historic Stonewall Inn". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. Archived from the original on 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ "Groups seek names for Stonewall 50 honor wall". The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ "Stonewall 50". San Francisco Bay Times. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-05-25.