News.BostonHerald.com – By Associated Press
San Juan – A Puerto Rican transsexual said yesterday her candidacy for a seat in a municipal assembly is a sign the island territory has become more tolerant.
Barbara Santiago Solla was chosen by the pro-statehood New Progressive Party to be included among a slate of municipal assembly candidates in the city of Carolina.
?I don?t think discrimination will be a factor. I think this is something Puerto Rico wanted, to take a step forward,? said Santiago, 59.
She said she had surgery to become a woman 35 years ago in New York and legally changed her gender in her public records in her native Puerto Rico.