Among the more than 500 new voting sites that have opened to L.A. County residents during the 2024 general election is one center aiming to make history.
The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center (CONOTEC) in West Hollywood is the first-ever presidential election voting site in the U.S. to operate in a transgender support facility, officials said.
The vote center officially opened its doors over the weekend and will be open through Tuesday Election Day. Center officials said that by opening a new and inclusive polling site, they hope to provide a safe space for vulnerable LGBTQ+ and non-binary community members to cast their ballots.
CONOTEC — which serves transgender and non-binary community members, related nonprofits and coalitions in L.A. — also made headlines during the March primaries as a new polling site.
Despite a diverse LGBTQ+ bloc in the U.S., new and returning voters — especially those who are trans and gender non-conforming — have faced ongoing barriers when it comes to elections, many say.
Over 200,000 transgender adults could face such barriers during this election, a new poll from the UCLA Williams Institute reported. They face challenges from legal registration hurdles and worries about voting safely, to concerns over the number of anti-LGBT+ bills or proposals nationwide that, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, restrict certain rights or freedoms.
Victoria Ortega, the center’s chief visionary officer and president of FLUX International, said that with these concerns, the LGBTQ+ community and its allies’ responsibility is to “take matters into our own hands.”
“We don’t talk — we act. We are tired of everyone talking about us and the issue of safety, but they do nothing about it,” Ortega said at a Nov. 1 press conference before the polls opened. “We, the trans community, have created a safe space for the most marginalized to vote — and when you do that, you create a safe place for all. We are duty-bound to be the first presidential election vote center in America at a transgender establishment.”
Chela Demuir, executive director of the Unique Woman’s Coalition, said “trans people of color have always been at the forefront of change. This voting center stands as a safe and welcoming space for our trans siblings, while also embracing all allies and residents of Los Angeles County. It’s a space where everyone’s voice matters.”
The center’s late namesake, Connie Norman, would be celebrating her 75th birthday on Election Day. Norman was known as “the AIDS Diva” and a transsexual AIDS activist in Los Angeles in the later years of her life. The polling site is located inside the Marsh P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera community space, named for two trans women activists.
Scottie Jeanette Madden is the director of advocacy at FLUX, one of the nonprofits headquartered at the center. She said that getting CONOTEC to be an L.A. voting center took efforts from Demuir and Ortega, who wanted to “create a space for (LGBT+ voters) to participate in our civic responsibility.”
“One of the biggest (issues) is the ability to participate in public services,” Madden said, with voters facing discrimination “to the point of actual legislation, which is trying to push us out of public life.”
West Hollywood resident Alexis Wilson, 32, went to CONOTEC to cast her vote on Monday. She said she is a “proud ally” of the LGBTQ+ community and chose to exercise her right at the new center since it “provides a safe place for folks to vote.”
Charles Zhang, another ally, was also happy that the facility was a new voting option for LGBTQ+ community members.
“Everyone kind of deserves to have a place where they feel safe,” the 25-year-old West Hollywood resident said. “I’ve had that privilege where I don’t really need to think about that, and I kind of take it for granted, but I think everyone should be able to have a space like this where they can show or be who they are, without having people go up against them, or be violent.”
Around 200 voters came to the site as of Monday late afternoon, center officials said.
The center will also host an Election Day Block Party on Tuesday night with a DJ, performances from local drag queens, the Trans Chorus of L.A. and more, in hopes of bringing in last-minute voters.
Poll worker Kristen Suszek hopes people know their voice and activism can make a difference in fighting “dangerous rhetoric,” including anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.
“People are voting to protect their rights and their community, and it’s really nice to see,” Suszek, 42, said. “I think it’s incredibly important for people to be engaged. It’s called civic duty for a reason. If we want to affect change in the world, we can’t do it by being a bump on a log.”
Some LGBTQ+ and gender issues are included on California’s ballot — including Proposition 3 which, if passed, would amend the state Constitution to recognize the fundamental right to marry “regardless of sex or race,” and remove language that defines marriage as “only between a man and a woman.”
Juliet Williams, a professor of gender studies at UCLA, said that in an already heated election season, “there’s more at stake in terms of fundamental LGBTQ+ rights.”
“Trans people — their lives, experiences and issues — have become more visible than ever before. There’s an intense targeting with hatred, bigotry,” Williams said.
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She emphasized the importance of having inclusive polling centers, but argued that “more needs to be done” in terms of protecting such a diverse community’s vote — with growing attacks on transgender people, especially children.
“It’s wonderful that there are voting places that are designated safe spaces, but it’s also a tragedy that we can’t be guaranteed… to be allowed to get to the ballot box and have your say,” Williams said. With growing attacks, “We no longer can live under the illusion that our rights are secure. Your rights are not something that’s protected at the Supreme Court — but at the ballot box.”
The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center, at 1001 N. Martel Ave in Los Angeles, is open until polls close Tuesday at 8 p.m.