Bennie Ferguson is not your everyday conservative. While accepting the tenets of fiscal conservatism and strong national security, Ferguson has a different view on social issues. Bennie is a cross dresser, and he is running as a Libertarian for Kansas State House of Representatives, District 104 in 2008 and as an independent candidate for the Oval Office. I found the interview with Bennie to be especially engaging. Ferguson even opened me up to the field of micropathology.

     Recently, Ferguson took a trip to the Middle East and Europe. Below is a press statement about that trip. Now, read the interview, check out his website, and give this guy (and occasional girl) a chance.

     By the way, what is this now? My fourth or fifth interview with an unusual politician? Can we get all of them together on MSNBC for a debate or something?

A Press Release For Her Recent Trip To The Middle East

     Transgendered independent write-in U.S. presidential candidate Bennie Lee "Ben" Ferguson returned on November 24 from a three-week vacation/fact-finding mission to the Middle East and Europe.  The candidate visited Israel (including the tiny self-proclaimed micronation of Akhzivland), the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland.  During stopovers in Minneapolis, Minnesota she campaigned briefly and visited the infamous "Larry Craig" men's room at the airport.
     A strong advocate of decreased U.S. military and financial support of the Israeli state, Ferguson was keen to visit either Gaza or the West Bank during her stay in the Middle East.  Due to security concerns, this proved inadvisable.  However, she did meet with Palestinian representative Anijad Nasser in Jerusalem to express her sympathy regarding the plight of the Palestinian people.
     While in Jerusalem, the candidate visited the Shushan Bar, the city's only GLBT nightspot which was unfortunately going out of business that very weekend.  She was welcomed by the management, included in televised coverage of the event, and photographed by "Harrad" magazine's Tess Scheflan.  
     Ferguson arrived in Amsterdam on November 11 and participated in the tenth anniversary celebration of Lellebel, a local gathering place for transgendered people.  Having lived in Amsterdam from 1979-1986, it was a homecoming of sorts for the candidate who enjoyed a chance to brush up on her Dutch while visting with Lellebel's patrons.
     Switzerland, the candidate's next destination, gave her a further opporunity to brush up on her German.  She lodged in the twin villages of Nesslau-Neu St. Johann in the Toggenburg at the home of environmental activist Andreas Weber.  Weber and Ferguson enjoyed lively exchanges related to "green" issues and her host explained to her the history of the Confederation of Helvetia, which lead to the founding of modern Switzerland.
     Back in the U.S., the candidate is focusing on attempts to recruit volunteers to serve as electors for her campaign.  She is particularly concerned at this point with the states of Texas, Kansas, and North Dakota.  Interested parties may e-mail the campaign (bennieleeferg@hotmail.com).

The Douginator: First off, you are a cross dresser and not a transvestite or transsexual, correct?

     FERGUSON:  In my experience, both with the so-called 'transgendered' community and society at large, these terms have become increasingly ambiguous.  For me the terms 'transvestite' and 'cross dresser' are virtually synonymous and and refer to those who enjoy wearing garments traditionally associated with the opposite sex.  The term 'transsexual' has become somewhat controversial and I have seen it used to refer to a variety of individuals, including those who have had their bodies altered surgically and/or through hormonal treatments.  Some contend that 'transsexualism' is a medical condition in which certain physiological characteristics of the brain do not correspond to the sexual biology of the body of that particular person.  But, in my case, I am simply a cross dresser, that is to say a man who regularly dresses in women's clothing and periodically assumes certain traditionally feminine roles, particularly in regard to erotic pursuits.  Also, I do not dress 'full time,' nor do I aspire to.  I enjoy my masculine persona as well as my feminine persona and would be loathe to abandon either.
 
The Douginator: You are interested in micropatrology . . . that seems fascinating- can you give our readers a little background on it?

     FERGUSON:  Micropatrology is a relatively new term coined to describe the study of small, self-proclaimed, independent 'micronations' which are generally unrecognized by traditional 'macronations.'  I had been interested micropatrology for many years and as a graduate student at Wichita State University, I am writing my master's thesis on the subject.  Additionally, on February 25, 2007 I founded my own micronation, the Kingdom of Fergus, which consists of my house and the adjacent property.  I serve as its transgendered monarch, Benjamin I and Benelea I.  (Dual citizenship allows me to participate in the U.S. presidential election as a candidate.) Two of the more well-known micronations are Sealand, located on an abandoned World War II gun platform in the North Sea, and Akhzivland, on the Mediterranean coast of Israel.  My first meeting with another micronationalist head of state occurred this past November when I visited the Middle East and met with President Eli Avivi of Akhzivland.  I also enjoy a cordial relationship with His Excellency President Kevin Baugh of the Republic of Molossia, located in Nevada, and the Marquess and Governor-General of the British Dominion of West Florida.

The Royal Crest of The Kingdom of Fergus
 

The Douginator: What is the greatest threat to this nation's future?

     FERGUSON:  The basic underpinnings of my campaigns, particularly my presidential campaign, involve a determination to maintain a strong national defense and security for the United States, while at the same time ensuring the preservation of our basic civil rights and liberties.  At first blush, these objectives may seem incompatible, but to me this is the great challenge of our time.  I can't remember who it was, but someone once said something to the effect that, 'Those who would sacrifice liberty for the sake of security deserve neither.'  The overriding priority for the nation is to strike a balance between security concerns and personal liberty.
 
The Douginator: Cross dressing is not a socially accepted practice.  Is it hard running for office while the public knows you as a cross dresser?

     FERGUSON:  My state congressional district is in a very socially conservative town of 60,000 people in South Central Kansas.  Even so, my little hometown has come a long way since I was born in 1953 in regard to increased tolerance of diversity.  As stated previously, I am a crossdresser, not a transsexual, and I do not live full-time. 
     Nevertheless, I am out to everybody and their dog and most people who know me to any extent have seen me 'en femme' on several occasions and I often campaign that way.  In regard to my presidential campaign, I am trying to convince GLBT voters and others in Kansas to write me in because it's a foregone conclusion that the state will go Republican in '08 and a strong showing in my home state would be historically significant for the transgendered community and send the message that we are conscientious, civic-minded citizens.  It is my hope that my bid for the Kansas House as the official Libertarian candidate from that district will benefit from 'bleed-over' publicity associated with the presidential campaign.
 
The Douginator: Has being in drag helped you in any way politically?  When I say this I mean does the scrutiny you get from dressing in drag help prepare you for the scrutiny you might have while in office?

     FERGUSON:  Being transgendered, or 'in drag,' as you say, has helped me principally in that I have a community which supports me as a base.  The most dramatic representation of this is the enthusiastic backing I have received from the website trannyweb.com and its chief administrator Katie Glover.  The site's coverage of my candidacy has been lavish and is greatly appreciated by a campaign which, while registered with the Federal Election Commission, operates on less than a shoestring budget.  In any event, I am no stranger to scrutiny.  I have a background as an entertainer and have always embraced an eccentric, unconventional lifestyle which inherently involves a great deal of outside scrutiny.

 
The Douginator: Not only are you running for president, but you are also running for the Kansas House of Representatives (District 104).  How is that campaign going?

     FERGUSON:  In the case of the Kansas House race, the primary incentive I would suggest for voters in my district to support me is my position on taxation.  I am committed to lowering taxes and have pledged never to vote for a tax increase.  This is a position with which I am convinced virtually every voter in my district is in agreement.  I ran for the same seat in 2006 against an entrenched, conservative Republican incumbent who has held that post for over twenty years.  (The Democratic Party in this district has abandoned it and has not fielded a candidate in years.)  In that election, I received 22% of the vote, which is a very noteworthy achievement for a third-party candidate in this area. 
 
The Douginator: What is the role of the federal government?  What is the role of the state government?

     FERGUSON: These questions are so general that one could write volumes in response to either of them.  Briefly, however, the questions revolve basically around the size of government, whether at the state or federal levels.  The best I can do in this limited context is to express my general philosophy in this regard.  As I have stated, the primary responsibilities of government, on any level, is to ensure the security of its citizens, while at the same time maintaining their basic rights and liberties.  I differ with many of my Libertarian colleagues regarding the implementation of this concept and the extent to which it can be reasonably effected in the modern world. The notion of a return to a society of yeoman farmers and laissez-faire governmental policies is appealing but anachronistic. Having said that, however, if it is not possible to scale back the scope of the government at this point, every effort should be made to see that it does not expand further unnecessarily. This is particularly important where basic civil rights and liberties are concerned. As president, I will do everything possible to see that our basic civil rights and liberties under the Constitution are preserved and maintained. 
 
The Douginator: I see a gap in the penalties between crimes like marijuanna possession and the penalties for white collar crimes in which a CEO or a higher-up drains a company and leaves its workers with little or nothing. What would you do if elected to cut down on white collar crimes, such as those implicated in the Enron scandal?

     FERGUSON:  The politically expedient answer would be to ensure voters that under my administration 'white collar crimes' would be dealt with as severely as 'blue collar crimes,' but the reality is that the more affluent elements in society are always better able to manipulate the judicial system because of their extensive financial resources.  Having said that, however, I would encourage more even-handed prosecution of these two types of crime to the extent that my executive authority would allow.  Nevertheless, simply put, less affluent citizens have never, and can never, expect to be treated as fairly in a jurisprudential sense as the wealthy. 

 

The Douginator: What is the most important social issue to you and why?

     FERGUSON:  In regard to this question, I can only repeat that my priorities involve providing adequate security for our citizens and the maintenance and preservation of our basic civil rights and liberties.  All other social issues (abortion, gay rights, race relations, et al) are contingent upon these basic concepts.

 
The Douginator: If you weren't running for president, who would you vote for?

      FERGUSON:  An in-depth analysis of each of the front-runners would prove to lengthy for this interview.  I am a former Republican and member of that party's Log Cabin GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered) organization and am, therefore, inclined to be supportive of fiscally conservative, national security-oriented, and socially enlightened candidates from the moderate ranks of the GOP.  My gut feeling is that Clinton is primarily in it for the power and glory.  Obama is too inexperienced and too far to the left.  Of the Republican candidates, Giulliani most exemplifies the mix of fiscal conservatism, national security concern, and social enlightenment to which I just referred.  However, I feel that John McCain is undoubtedly the most qualified of the Republican candidate, a person of unquestionable integrity, and I would probably vote for him.

 
The Douginator: Why was Bill Clinton the worst president?

      FERGUSON: I only listed Bill Clinton as the worst president because I was asked to choose one on a questionaire form.  He probably was not the worst president. However, I do not care for him personally and feel that many of his policies as president were much too far to the left for my tastes.

 
The Douginator: Why should people vote for you?  What will you offer the people who take time to sit down and really concentrate on your politics and not you sexual orientation?

      FERGUSON: My sexual-orientation and transgendered lifestyle only impact my candidacy as they are representative of my focus on indiviudal rights coupled with personal responsibility.  Many of my stances are in direct contradiction of those espoused by the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered) establishment.  I am seeking to become president of the entire nation, not the transgendered community, and the lion's share of my views are in keeping with those of mainstream America.  Brevity does not allow me to go into detail regarding this question, but  those who wish to become better acquainted with my candidacy and views are invited to e-mail me (bennieleeferg@hotmail.com) or visit my Kansas House web page (http://candidate.lpks.org/BenFerguson).  Thank you.

Want more? Check out these interviews: Frank Moore, Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey, Jack Grimes, Cris Ericson, and the LNSG party.