Who Is Bethany Johnson?

Bethany Johnson was born and raised in rural northwest Missouri. The youngest of four children in a very poor family, she grew up as “Buster Johnson,” the son of a waitress and a father who took on odd jobs. Her father was a fighter; her mother was twice as tough. A regular at a local Pentecostal church, Bethany was raised Christian—and, like Jacob, she wrestled with the Lord.

Coming of age in Missouri in the 1980s and ’90s while knowing she was trans, Bethany endured relentless bullying and violent attacks at school for being effeminate and different. Through those experiences, she learned to be strong, to stand up for herself, and to keep going—even when it meant getting knocked down again.

After graduating from high school in Savannah, MO, and nearly finishing college in Springfield, MO, Bethany came out to her parents. Her mother responded by cutting her off and refusing to provide the information she needed to complete her FAFSA, ending her path to a college degree at that time. By then, Bethany had begun transitioning—but living as a woman with the name “Buster Johnson” in Springfield left her increasingly isolated, and eventually, she lost her job simply because her hair was too long.

Then, through what she describes as an act of divine grace, walking into a casino with her last $63 she hit a $3,500 jackpot on a slot machine. With that money, she paid down debt, ate well for the first time in a long while, and with $1,200 left in hand, drove her van to Chicago in June 2003.

Chicago welcomed her. She spent that first summer living in her van near Ridge and Wayne until it was towed away by the City, but by then she had found a job with an employer who didn’t question why a woman was named “Buster.” She found a roommate, an apartment, a community of friends in the local drag king scene—and, finally, a place to belong.

Eventually, she landed a good-paying job with a company that valued her. With her first bonus and two maxed-out credit cards, she flew to Thailand to complete her transition in 2006. A few years later, she became the first transgender roller derby player in Chicago. She bought a condo in 2012. In 2016, she returned briefly to Springfield to finish college, and in 2021, she married the love of her life.

Bethany has remained deeply engaged in the community. When Jan Schakowsky announced her retirement from Congress, Bethany looked at the field of candidates for Illinois’s 9th District and didn’t see a fighter. Friends, neighbors, and her husband told her, “You’re the most passionate person we know—you should run.”

Bethany knows firsthand what it means to face poverty, discrimination, and violence. She’s fought every step of the way, and she’s ready to keep fighting—for working people, for those too often left behind, and for everyone in District 9.

Now, Bethany Johnson is running for Congress—to fight for us all.