Only one transgender person holds elected office in Tennessee. (Photo: Getty Images)

Technology consultant Lena Chipman will attempt to become the second transgender person elected to local office in Tennessee and first in Memphis.

Chipman announced her candidacy for the Shelby County Commission Thursday.

If Chipman wins, she will join Nashville Metro Council Member Olivia Hill as the only other transgender elected official in the state.

“Representation is really important,” Chipman said. “One of the things I’ve tried to do is to show up and show that trans people are just like everybody else: I’m a wife, a mom, I’m a tech entrepreneur.”

The number of transgender women in public office in the U.S. did not increase between May 2024 and June 2025, while the number of trans men in office

See Full Page