The first transgender woman running for state office has a lot to say, but she wants to be clear that her stances on policies are not all about LGBTQIA+ issues.

AL.com met Sylvia Swayne, a 26-year-old resident of Birmingham’s Highland Park neighborhood, to talk about her life, hopes, and dreams.

She will face Kenneth Coachman, Travis Hendrix, Ves Marable, Cara McClure, Phyllis E. Oden-Jones, and Antwon Womack in the Democratic Primary for the seat on September 26th. The election is set for October 24th.

AL.com: Who is Sylvia Swayne?

Sylvia: Sylvia Swayne is a person. I know it sounds corny, but I’m an everyday Alabamian. I go to work, pay bills, and surround myself with a community of people I love. I believe in Alabama because Alabama is the people who make the state.

AL.com: Why not start your first political office with the city council or your neighborhood association?

Sylvia: I never aspired to be a politician. I never saw myself running for office. I majored in English in college (The University of Alabama), and I’ve worked in the same corporate office for 5 years. The timing felt like the perfect storm. I personally opposed a few bills this year, and I wanted to talk to my representative about it, but I couldn’t because he resigned. And that’s when I realized that if he (Fred Plump) resigned, there will be a special election this year. There’s so much division, there’s so much going on in the state that’s not really being addressed. We’re not activating people in the community, or young people, to oppose or speak out about what’s going on at the Capitol. And for me, I realized that if that’s the environment that we’re tolerating, then somebody has to work with people to change. I think at the state level is where we see a lot of division.

AL.com: What is a big issue that you think needs to be addressed?

Sylvia: I saw where Mayor Woodfin opposed what Donald Trump said about expanding I-65, and he asked, “Why aren’t we investing in a high-speed train?” I agree. But the problem is, we can’t fund the train without putting money into public transportation. There have been so many bus routes removed since 2015. It’s alarming how many routes have been cut over the last few years, and that’s because we haven’t been investing in public transportation. I think a lot of young people expect Alabama to be bad since we’re last in education, have poor healthcare, a high maternal mortality rate, and scarce job opportunities in rural areas.

AL.com: Has there ever been a time in your life that you stood up for something or did something that made a difference in someone’s life?

Sylvia: At the University of Alabama I was part of an organization called, “Students for Fair Labor”, which is the local chapter of the United Students Against Workshops. One thing we did is work with the university administration to get them to work with an alternate ethical company to create the university’s apparel. Also, I was a part of “Bama Sits”, we organized peaceful protests during home football games when Colin Kaepernick was kneeling during the National Anthem, in solidarity against police brutality.

AL.com: Most of District 55 is made up of Black people, how do you plan to get them to vote for you as a white woman?

Sylvia: I think it’s important to acknowledge what issues are facing Black people in Alabama. We just had a special legislative session to redraw the Congressional district maps because the current maps violate section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, to ensure Black voters are represented in politics. People ask me about being trans, but I’m not asking people to vote for me because I am trans, I’m asking people to vote for me because I recognize that while legislature is trying to make things about trans people and drag queens, they’re disenfranchising the Black vote. I know I’m one person, but I want to work alongside the community, but I know I can’t magically make everything better for everyone. But I do know the work is being done here by Black people in District 55 but the statehouse won’t do the work for them. Yes, I’m white, so I know I don’t have the experience of being Black, but I do believe in working with people where they are and working together.

AL.com: A lot of people in the state are transphobic, and although being trans is an important part of your identity, how do you plan to get people to look past that or not get stuck on that part of yourself?

Sylvia: None of us are free until all of us are free. So yes, as a transwoman my perspective is informed by the negative experiences I face. But they don’t define who I am. It’s made me more resilient, which has become my best trait. By being resilient, I can recognize that things have been bad, but things can be better, and we can make positive changes from them. So for the folks who are on the fence, because I’m trans, it should be about what I value. I value people’s differences, efforts, and resiliency. We all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

AL.com: You’ve mentioned before that you’re concerned about HB405 (What Is A Woman Act). What exactly are you concerned about and what do you want people to understand?

Sylvia: It requires people on their public record or birth certificate that they have to have their gender defined by the sex they were assigned at birth. On its own, it means that you can’t change your gender on your birth certificate, but it sets a precedent for other bills that can target transgender people and people with various intersex conditions (differences in chromosomes). So defining people by what’s on their birth certificate doesn’t tell the complete story. It can affect bathroom bills, or who goes to what prison, and again, this is not just limited to trans people. Additionally, state lawmakers use these kinds of bills to create controversy and discuss who trans people are or who they’re allowed to be. But it distracts us from the fact that we’re not putting enough money into public education, or lack of funds in public transportation, disenfranchisement of Black voters. All of these are efforts to suppress people who want to make better lives for themselves.