For trans activists, recent setbacks temper long-term hopes

web1_Police.jpg

W-B home shot at just after midnight; police looking for information

<p>Democratic state Sen. John Yudichak announced Tuesday he is switching his political registration to Independent.</p><p>&#8220;As an Independent, I will continue to put people above politics. I will continue to support Democratic ideas as well as Republican ideas when it is clear that they serve the greater good and help government work for people rather than the narrow interests of partisan &#8216;purists,&#8217;&#8221; he said in a release.</p><p>Yudichak&#8217;s release reflects back to the nation&#8217;s division during the Civil War and says the country and state are again &#8220;in the throes of a fierce public debate where politics has become more about choosing sides than it is about working together toward &#8216;a more perfect union.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>The legislator said he has worked in a bi-partisan way and across regional boundaries to support Northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>&#8220;Working outside the confines of an extremist political ideology is the foundation of my political career in Harrisburg, and it has helped me serve the people I care about the most&#8212;the people of northeastern Pennsylvania,&#8221; he wrote.</p><p>He criticized &#8220;purist&#8221; politicians focused on serving &#8220;the insatiable appetite of social media sites that need outrage and hate to garner interest and engagement.&#8221; Government is complicated and requires collaborative leaders who can build broad coalitions, he wrote.</p><p>Yudichak said he put great thought and deliberation into the &#8220;deeply personal decision&#8221; to switch parties.</p><p>&#8220;I choose the politics of &#8216;we&#8217; over the politics of &#8216;us versus them.&#8217; I choose to reject the &#8216;purist&#8217; politicians who now stand as unyielding impediments to the only thing that motivates me to be in politics&#8212;getting real things done that make a true difference in people&#8217;s lives,&#8221; he wrote.</p><p>The 49-year-old Yudichak started serving his current four-year term as state senator in January.</p><p>His entry into state office began in 1999, when he took office as a state representative.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Yudichak-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Yudichak </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Yudichak-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Yudichak </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Yudichak switching party registration from Democrat to Independent