11.27.17 Rep Jim McGovern

Described as “The Conscience of the Congress” by Senator Ed Markey, Congressman McGovern is one of the foremost voices for human rights in Congress.

Jim McGovern was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and has been a voice for the most vulnerable and a strong advocate for the working families and the LGBTQ community.

Congressman McGovern will join us on air for today’s show.  I first met the Congressman in his 1996 bid for the seat held the by Peter Blute.  Blute had won the seat a term before.  That was a long held seat by Rep Joe Early.  I was hosting the mid-day talk show on WSRO in Marlborough MA.  Jim came in with Senator George McGovern.  I have to admit I was far more excited to be hanging with Senator McGovern than the little known Jim McGovern at the time.

Blute held that seat for only the one term and as he has said, he lost he seat due to illness.  The voters were sick of him.

As I assimilated into the Worcester area and the community at large I would continually cross paths with Jim, most notably at Worcester Pride events.  It was clear how Jim was a great supporter of Pride and the overall issues facing the LGBTQ front.

We will talk with Jim about the first openly Transgender elected to a State Legistlature.  Although we hare in Massachusetts have the claim on the first Transgender, Althea Garrison (born October 7, 1940), from Boston.  Garrison elected as a Republican to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1992 and served one term from 1993 to 1995

We’ll touch on the “Bathroom Bill” repeal.. this will be on the November 2018 ballot and we must be paying attention, this is a year long fight.

We will also touch on the recent NTDoR on the 20th.

So please tune in to 91.3 FM WCUW at 3:00 PM today.  The podcast of the show will be available on this site later today.