On Beacon Hill, newly elected women are mistaken for legislative aides. Repeatedly

February 1, 2019 in Press/News

By Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe

Close your eyes and consider the words “state rep.”

Whose image springs to mind?

Tram T. Nguyen, a youthful-looking Vietnamese-American woman elected to the House in November, pointedly challenged that assumption on Twitter this week, when she recounted an exchange with a lobbyist who just couldn’t see her as a legislator.

“Lobbyist: ‘Are you Rep X’s aide?’ ” Nguyen wrote on Twitter.

“Me (in full suit): ‘No.’

“Lobbyist: ‘Are you Rep Y’s aide?’

“Me: ‘No. I’m Rep Nguyen.’

“Lobbyist: ‘Oh, you’re Rep Nguyen’s aide.’

“Me: ‘No! I’m the representative.’ ”

“This is why we need more women,” Nguyen wrote, specifically calling for more women of color in leadership positions.

Read the full story in the Boston Globe