Veronica Pejril
Veronica Pejril | |
|---|---|
| Education | Princeton University |
| Occupation(s) | Professor, American politician |
| Term | 2020-2024 |
| Political party | Democrat |
Veronica Pejril is an American politician from Greencastle, Indiana. She served as a Greencastle City Council member from 2020 to 2024, making her the first openly transgender elected official in the state of Indiana. She is a candidate for District 24 in the 2024 Indiana Senate election.
Education
[edit]Pejril studied music composition at the University of Illinois. As a student, she developed software tools for musicians and received a doctoral fellowship to Princeton University.[1] She received a Master of Fine Arts degree and is an assistant professor at Depauw University.[2]
Political career
[edit]During her election campaign, Pejril experienced transphobic harassment by fellow city council candidate Haywood Ware. Pejril denounced the behavior as well as separate Islamophobic posts. These statements were denounced by other council candidates, and the state Democratic chairman encouraged Eric Holcomb to do the same.[3] Pejril entered office on January 1, 2020, and became the first openly transgender elected official in the state of Indiana.[4] In 2022, she was one of many public officials to speak out against the Alliance Defending Freedom for supporting the passage of an anti-trans sports ban.[5] She lost her reelection in 2023 to Tina Nicholson.[6]
Pejril serves as secretary for the Putnam County Democratic Party.[7] She was a delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention [8] and the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[9] She is on the board of directors for Indiana Youth Group.[10]
Pejril announced her candidacy for District 24 of the 2024 Indiana Senate election in January 2024.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Veronica Pejril seeks Democrat nod in Senate District 24". Greencastle Banner Graphic. April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Pejril, Veronica J., MFA - Faculty Bio". Depauw University. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Facebook posts cause stir in city council race". Greencastle Banner Graphic. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "City's annual swearing-in ceremony means something special for 2020". Greencastle Banner Graphic. 2 January 2020. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
- ^ Luneau, Delphine. "Human Rights Campaign Passage of Anti-Trans Sports Ban by Indiana Lawmakers". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "GOP comes two votes from city sweep". Greencastle Banner Graphic. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Veronica Pejril". Putnam County Democratic Party. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Veronica Pejril". Hoosier Women Forward. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Voices of 2024 DNC Delegates". IPM News. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "Board & Directors". Indiana Youth Group. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Candidate List - Abbreviated" (PDF). Retrieved 7 September 2024.