Two Denton LGBT candidates file for races

by John Wright of Dallas Voice

John McClelland, president of Stonewall Democrats of Denton County, hopes to bring about "change" in his home county if he is elected to Texas House seat District 64.

Two openly gay Democrats have filed to run for state office in conservative districts represented by incumbent Republicans.

John McClelland is running for the District 64 seat in the Texas House of Representatives, and Edra Bogle is running for the District 14 seat on the state Board of Education.

The deadline to file for March primaries was Wednesday, Jan. 2.

McClelland and Bogle are president and vice president, respectively, of the newly formed Stonewall Democrats of Denton County, a local chapter of the state's largest gay political group.

"We definitely need some change in Denton County," McClelland said. "Things have not been going well."

McClelland, 31, is unopposed in the primary and will face Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, in November. Crownover, whom McClelland described as a supporter of controversial House Speaker Tom Craddick, is seeking her fifth full term representing the district that covers the Lake Lewisville cities of Denton, Corinth, Shady Shores, Lake Dallas, Hickory Creek, The Colony, Lakewood Village, Oak Point and Little Elm.

Edra Bogle, vice president of Stonewall Democrats of Denton County, expects sexual orientation will become an issue in her race for a seat on the state Board of Education.

McClelland, who works in import/export logistics, ran for Dallas City Council in 2007, losing to Ron Natinsky.

Bogle, a 73-year-old retired University of North Texas professor, also is unopposed in the primary and will face Republican Gail Lowe in November. Lowe is seeking her third term representing District 14, which covers 25 1/2 counties in North Central Texas.

Both McClelland and Bogle said they anticipate sexual orientation will become an issue in their races.

"It's probably going to be brought up," McClelland said. "If they see that it's something that can be used against me, they're obviously going to do it."

Bogle said she's been involved with various LGBT groups and helped draft an anti-discrimination policy for the Denton School District that includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. She is known statewide for her activism.

"It's going to very interesting when the Republicans Google me and see all the activities that I've been involved in over the years," said Bogle, who is also former chair of the Denton County Democratic Party. "I don't know how they're going to hit me on that, but I'm sure they're going to."