Hairy-chested, dress-wearing trans mayor of Mexican border town says they're being 'bullied' out of office and will become more vulnerable without the protection of being an elected official

California's first transgender mayor has said she has to watch her back as 'bullies' are staging a recall to oust her. 

Calemexico Mayor Raul Ureña, 26, identifies as a transgender woman and prefers she/they pronouns. 

Ureña, the first transgender mayor along the entire US/Mexico border, told DailyMail.com that she recalls feeling 'so good' whilst wearing a dress at the age of 10.

However, Ureña has claimed that her gender identity has been used against her throughout the elected official's political career. 

The mayor said that as a transgender person, you always have to watch your back - but says that she doesn't feel more vulnerable to trans-hate as a public official. 

'I might even be more vulnerable if I'm not in an elected position where people have elected me to represent a lot of people who don't identify as LGBT,' she said.

The first transgender mayor in California , who likes to wear dresses and makeup, has said she has to watch her back as bullies stage a recall to push her out of office

Mayor Raul Ureña, 26, was elected into office in 2020 at the age of 23 and came out as gender-fluid and transgender in 2022 - after her re-election

Ureña is facing recall after voters complained they thought they were voting a man into office

Ureña has claimed that her gender identity has been used against her throughout the 26-year-old's political career. The mayor said that as a transgender person, you always have to watch your back - but says that she doesn't feel more vulnerable to trans-hate as a public official

Ureña was voted into office before coming out as a transgender female in 2020 at the age of 23.

She eventually started wearing dresses and makeup in official appearances, which riled up voters who felt duped because they believed they were voting for a gay cisgender man and not a transgender woman. 

Ureña opened up about her struggles as a member of the LGBTQ+ community - and admitted her parents told her to hide her sexual orientation when she came out at the age of 17 for safety purposes. 

'My parents wanted me to keep it to myself because they were worried about my safety,' she said. 'My dad was not very happy with me being public about my sexual orientation.'

At a Pride-flag raising event at Calexico's city hall in June, 2023, Ureña was lunged at by an anti-trans protestor who had set out on a mission to get her kicked out of office.

As Ureña stood in a dress next to the Progress Pride Flag while it was hoisted up the pole, a fuming woman, Rebecca Lemon, marched towards her and proceeded to scream at the mayor.

Within moments, a fleet of officers yanked the protestor away from the mayor onto the grass where she kicked and squirmed while Ureña stood calmly.

'He's not a daughter, he's a son,' Lemon screamed at Ureña's father - who stood nearby videoing her crazed outburst. 

'He's not a woman! He's not a woman!' She shouted over and over again before screaming 'F*** you' at a police officer and kicking Ureña's father. 

Lemon has long been the face of a campaign fighting to remove Ureña from office, and she had personally served her the recall papers.

The transgender public official ripped the papers in half.

Despite the other members of the recall campaign distancing themselves from Lemon after her outburst, they have marched on with their efforts to oust Ureña from public office. 

In June, she was heckled by protestors at a pride flag-raising ceremony in Jube where an avid Ureña hater screamed 'he's not a woman!'

Protestors successfully forced a recall election for Ureña and a fellow progressive council member, Gilberto Manzanarez

'I think she's a big bully,' Ureña told DailyMail.com. 'She barks like a bulldog and is bigger than me, but I'm not afraid.'

Referring to the incident in June, Ureña said, 'I can absolutely say what she was doing was illegal, was unlawful, was a fault and was something you don't do to a human being. 

'I can't be afraid of those kinds of incidents. I have a whole city to govern and it's a particularly difficult city to govern at home.' 

Calexico is a city in southern Imperial County that sits on the border of Mexico and California.

The city's population of about 38,000 is largely made up of mostly Democrat voters - but from the 2016 to the 2020 election, Republican voters increased from under 10 percent to almost 27 percent.

Those pushing for the removal of Ureña from office stated: 'During this recall, we want to remind all to be respectful towards personal sexual preferences as this is not the platform.'

However, the actions of their former campaign leader suggest otherwise.

After Lemon's attack, former mayor Maritz Hurtado became the new public face for the campaign.

Ureña opts for dresses that reveal her hairy chest, bold makeup, bright colors, jewelry and high heels - making her stand out for better or for worse

'I might even be more vulnerable if I'm not in an elected position where people have elected me to represent a lot of people who don't identify as LGBT ,' she said

Residents of Calexico took to social media when Ureña became mayor to bash the politician for her appearance.

When images surfaced of Ureña wearing a dress - people said 'how gross' and 'this must be a joke.' 

Calexico resident Diana Silva said she felt uncomfortable with the image Ureña is portraying but she is also not happy with her work in the city council, according to Beyond Border News.