Last night was huge for Democrats (and for many folks, like myself, who had begun losing faith in democracy), but one hopeful thing in particular happened: Democrat Danica Roem, a former journalist, was the first openly transgender person elected in a state legislature in the United States.
Roem unseated Republican Bob Marshall, one of the Virginia’s longest-serving and most socially conservative lawmakers. There irony of her win doesn’t escape us. Roem defeated an incumbent Virginia lawmaker who sponsored a bill that attempted to restrict which bathrooms she could use.
Twitter was ablaze after the good news broke!
\u201cTonight's wins, especially in Virginia, are the signs of a growing movement standing against bigotry and hatred. RAISE HELL CHILDREN IT IS WORKING.\u201d— Gabe Gonz\u00e1lez (@Gabe Gonz\u00e1lez) 1510116182
\u201cTrump: I don't know Manafort, Gates, Papadopoulos, Flynn, Page, Kushner, etc. \n\nGOP after tonight's election: We don't know Trump. \n\n#Northam #Gillespie #Election2017\u201d— Andrea Chalupa \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2 (@Andrea Chalupa \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2) 1510103520
\u201cBlack people winning! Trans women winning! Democrats winning!\nRacist whites losing! Homophobes/transphobes losing! #Election2017\u201d— Preston Mitchum, he/him (@Preston Mitchum, he/him) 1510109758
\u201cThe man who wrote the anti-trans bathroom bill just lost the election to a trans woman. Let that sink in. https://t.co/KFEZXSYvMy\u201d— Laura Bassett (@Laura Bassett) 1510103228
\u201cI've never understood why anti-trans people are so obsessed with what goes on in bathrooms. It's what my kids used to call "number ones and number twos" and it's really rather boring. #TransFolksCanWin\u201d— Reverend Michael Coren (@Reverend Michael Coren) 1510131432
\u201cIf you think progressive women are being elected everywhere tonight, just wait for 2018. You haven't seen anything yet. \n\n#ElectionDay\u201d— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1510110377
\u201cA Black woman, a Latina woman, a trans woman and a socialist walk into the Virginia House of Delegates\n\n\u2026 \n\nsomething-something The Aristocrats! #ElectionDay\u201d— \u2693\ufe0fImani Two-Kitchens Gandy\u2693\ufe0f (@\u2693\ufe0fImani Two-Kitchens Gandy\u2693\ufe0f) 1510105331
\u201cBoth openly transgender. Both won their races. Congratulations to both #AndreaJenkins of #Minneapolis & #DanicaRoem of #Virginia How amazing\u201d— Laureen (@Laureen) 1510109556
