Oregon Town Elects Nation's First Transgender Mayor

Another one for the history books.

Barack Obama wasn't the only candidate who made history Tuesday. On the same day the United States elected its first black president, the tiny town of Silverton, Ore., elected the country's first openly transgender mayor. Stu Rasmussen served two terms as Silverton's mayor in the 1990s, but he was still living in the closet -- and dressing in men's clothing. He came out a few years ago, proudly donning a skirt and high heels. On Tuesday, Rasmussen won a third term, by 13 percentage points. He attributes his victory to his deep knowledge of the issues. "The first 30 seconds they think, am I in freak show? Is there a camera behind me? What's going on here?" Rasmussen told a local news station about voters' reaction to him. "And then we get down to discussing whatever the issue is -- city business or whatever -- and they figure out this guy's different, but he knows what he's talking about."

Rasmussen: "I identify mostly as a heterosexual male. But I just like to look like a female. Some guys' mid-life crisis is motorcycles or sports cars or climbing mountains or trophy wives or whatever. I always wanted cleavage, so I went out and acquired some."