Elected official's transgender status could hardly be unknown in city of 12,000

I found myself looking for a rural angle in this story about a transgender politician in Riverdale, Georgia, population 12,000. Maybe there isn't one, given that Riverdale appears to be exurban or suburban Atlanta, but it seems to me that the lack of anonymity associated with rural areas (and towns/cities of this size) is still at play. Here's what happened: Michelle Bruce is in a run off to hold onto the city council seat to which she was elected in 2003. One of her opponents in the most recent election is suing, alleging that "Michael Bruce" misled voters by identifying herself as female. Michelle Bruce says she has always identified as transgender; "Everybody in my district knows me. Everyone in Riverdale knows me." It's hard to imagine otherwise, in a town that size.