Conversations with the CTGCA Team: Volunteer Elizabeth Beheler

CTGCA Volunteer Elizabeth Beheler explains how her start in politics was motivated by a greater sense of responsibility after the 2016 election, why working with CTGCA has helped her find her voice, and more.

This interview has been edited for brevity. We interviewed members from our team to learn about their roots in the gender equality movement. To learn more about our Interview Series and read other pieces like this, please click here.

When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was a little girl I wanted to buy the farm near the house I grew up in, called “Fassett Farm.” I was going to be a doctor and a ballet dancer. My husband was going to be a veterinarian, and we were also going to be farmers together in our spare time.

Were your dreams at all modified because of limited opportunities for your gender, race, abilities, sexuality, religion, etc.?

Obviously, I had to modify my initial ambitions since they weren’t realistic, and by the time I was ready to apply to colleges, I decided against a professional ballet career — in part due to lack of talent, frankly speaking. I will say that 20+ years ago there weren’t a lot of Asian professional ballet dancers in the US, but it has improved dramatically over the last two decades, especially in the major ballet companies.

My high school guidance counselor suggested pre-med, which I decided against. I had absolutely no money going into college and was able to attend only because of university endowment, scholarships, grants, and loans, as well as many part-time jobs. Even at 17, I understood medical school would be more than I could handle financially.

The other reason I didn’t apply to a pre-med program, which may have had to do with gender in a sneaky way, is that I didn’t feel like I was suited for life-or-death decisions. Looking back, it may have been a personality trait specific to me, or it may have been a kind of confidence that wasn’t nurtured or developed. It was likely some combination that would be difficult to blame on my own internalized gender bias or of the adults around me. But I do sometimes wonder…

Ultimately, I graduated from a five-year Master’s Degree program in Physical Therapy. It was a way to use my strengths in the sciences, and interestingly enough, no one ever suggested a STEM career other than medicine. Coming from a blue-collar town, these weren’t jobs that our parents had, so I guess I didn’t realize what the opportunities were.

Was there a specific “aha moment” or someone in your life that influenced your decision to be involved in the gender equality movement?

Officially, I was very late to the feminist movement. However, from an early age, I watched my mother struggle to work and raise three children on her own without a college degree. I watched her fight her way through multiple piles of paperwork and systems that she didn’t understand. I saw the child support system fail my family. Even as a child, I was aware that she was going through a lot and that some of it had to do with her being a woman.

I was raised in a very socially and religiously conservative family and town, and around the end of high school, I developed my own opinions, which were different from my conservative upbringing, regarding things like reproductive rights, religious freedom, and sexual orientation.

In college, I took an intro women’s studies class — the only one I ever took — and the books that we read blew my mind. I became really aware and angry about all these things that I had always felt but didn’t have the words for. It was there that I learned about the National Organization for Women and Take Back the Night, but until 2016, the only political involvement I had was voting.

How did your community and family influence your passions?

My mother is a very practical woman with a can-do attitude. She taught me to make the best of any situation and how to solve problems and get things done. I feel a responsibility to contribute to changing things even though I may not have a political background, and I think that was probably her influence. She has always been a living example of what a female leader is to me.

The other major influence of my youth was my ballet teacher. She was the first creative person, the first artist, I knew. She trained in London and danced professionally in Turkey. She opened her own dance studio in the next town over and grew it, marketed it, and ran it herself without any real training as to how, as far as I know. She was fierce, inspiring, and inherently in touch with her creativity and her emotions, but she also had the ability to command a room — whether directing students at the dance studio or a whole theater.

How has working with CTGCA changed your perspective on the importance of supporting progressive women candidates?

I’ve always voted for women and felt an affinity for women candidates who are running at any level of government.

The biggest change for me when I joined the CTGCA team after 2016 was to not be apologetic about supporting women because they are women. Before joining Close the Gap, I felt like I was supposed to say, “Oh, she’s the best person for the job. It doesn’t matter what her gender is.”

But we need more women leaders. Women need and deserve that kind of empowerment and support and encouragement, and often they don’t receive it like men do. They probably need even more to make up for some of the societal deficits that exist.

Our goal of gender parity in the California State Legislature is not one we should dance around. We’re not shying away from our desire to win and that we know how to accomplish it.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?

Politically, the work I’ve done these last four years; both with Close the Gap and in being part of the national political conversation. In a way, I feel like I’ve gone to college again with all of the knowledge and experience I’ve gained in state, local, and national politics.

I have worked on projects that I have absolutely no formal background in and yet, I rolled up my sleeves and contributed valuable work. My favorite example is donning a pink blazer and speaking knowledgeably with bona fide politicos and activists about Close the Gap California and our mission at the California Democratic Party’s state convention. It’s not something I ever imagined myself doing! The last four years have been filled with these kinds of moments because I’ve been motivated by a responsibility that overcomes my apprehensions.

When we saw Hillary Clinton lose, there were so many women who felt that loss on such a deeply personal level, and we asked ourselves, “Why should this offend me so greatly? I wasn’t running for president,” and I think a lot of us came to the consensus that it’s because we don’t see ourselves in government leadership — not just at the presidential level, but at all levels. Our voices aren’t being heard.

This led me to learn the value of my own voice.

Before joining Close the Gap, I never spoke about politics because I was concerned about upsetting or offending people. I hadn’t realized how important speaking up was. If no one speaks against the loudest prevailing voices, then we perceive them as the popular opinion.

Now, voicing my opinion or perspective empowers someone else to do the same. Finding my voice and being part of the conversation has been a very big personal accomplishment for me.

Oh, and getting Trump out of office, if I can take any miniscule credit for that.

What do you enjoy about the work you do with Close the Gap California?

The people. I like being part of a team of women who have the same goals as I do, many with more experience and ability to accomplish that goal. I genuinely enjoy supporting worthy women. This organization, and the pipeline of women we are recruiting, are filled with worthy women.

One of the reasons I feel like Close the Gap is the right place for me, is that the state legislature is a wonderfully needed place to make an impact. State government is a bridge between local and national politics. Oftentimes what’s going on at the national level doesn’t feel very accessible. And what happens at the local levels feels entrenched in the details of specific communities.

The state legislature is a place where we need more women lawmakers who can make a concrete improvement in the day-to-day lives of women. What we’re doing at Close the Gap is making life better for women and girls in our generation and for generations after us.

What gives you hope for California’s future?

That organizations like CTGCA exist. There are a lot of educated, experienced women in California who are deeply engaged in politics at all levels. I have been profoundly impressed with how many women I have met these last four years through Close the Gap and our allied organizations who are so committed to gender equality in California…both inside and outside of politics.

There are women older than I am who have been doing this work their whole adult lives. It’s humbling and inspiring at the same time. I have a deeper appreciation for the multi-generational work that equality requires, and I’m proud to take some small responsibility for this leg of it. My role is to support good women to run.

I understand the importance of grooming the next generation because the work will continue in some form despite all of the hard-earned progress we’ve won so far. I have a daughter, and I wouldn’t say she’s a feminist yet, but part of my responsibility as a mother is to raise her to understand equal rights and that she deserves them, and what work has been done to get to where we are, and maybe give her some ideas for things that she could do to support the movement going forward.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be less intimidated. Ask for big advice from women who have gone before. Don’t assume men know more than you do, even if they’re older than you or speak better than you do. This applies especially to lived experience and the female perspective on “the way things work.” You can always change the way things are.

Close the Gap California is committed to building on progressive women’s historic momentum by recruiting them statewide and achieving equality in California by 2028. Join us!

About Close the Gap California

Close the Gap California (CTGCA) is a statewide campaign launched in 2013 to close the gender gap in the California Legislature by 2028. By recruiting accomplished, progressive women in targeted districts and preparing them to launch competitive campaigns, CTGCA is changing the face of the Legislature one cycle at a time.

One in every four women in the Legislature is a CTGCA Recruit. Our Recruits are committed to reproductive justice, quality public education, and combatting poverty, and nine of 10 serving today are women of color.