Danica Roem turns into Virginia’s first transgender state senator

Virginia Del. Danica Roem made political historical past once more after successful a state Senate seat on Tuesday. She is the primary transgender individual elected to the Senate in Virginia and the second transgender individual elected to the Senate of any state in the USA, after Sarah McBride of Delaware in 2020.

Roem, a Democrat, defeated her Republican opponent, Invoice Wolf. By more than 3 percentage points. Wolf, a former Fairfax County police officer, has been endorsed by the state’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin.

“I’m grateful to the folks of Virginia’s thirtieth Senate District who elected me to proceed representing my life’s dwelling of western Prince William County and higher Manassas,” Roem mentioned in a letter. statement It was shared on social media on Tuesday. “Voters have proven they need a frontrunner who prioritizes fixing roads, feeding youngsters and defending our land quite than stigmatizing transgender youngsters or taking away your civil rights.”

Roem, a 39-year-old former journalist, first made political historical past six years in the past when she grew to become the primary overtly transgender individual elected to the state legislature. In doing so, she defeated one among Virginia’s longest-serving socially conservative legislators.

Anise Parker, President and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Funda nationwide group devoted to electing folks from the LGBTQ group to public workplace, mentioned Roem’s victory on Tuesday “serves as a deafening rebuke to bigots who proceed to attempt to silence the LGBTQ+ group and trans folks particularly.”

“Danica confronted an unprecedented torrent of anti-trans hate on the marketing campaign path, however it was not divided or distracted,” Parker, the previous Houston mayor, mentioned in a press release. “She made LGBTQ+ historical past tonight as a result of she put voters first, and spoke out about the true points affecting youngsters and their households in Virginia, from fixing roads to making sure youngsters and households get meals on the desk.”

in Article published in The Lawyer Final week, Roem mentioned supporters of her opponents criticized her assist for transgender student-athletes and accused her of not defending girls’s sports activities by permitting “boys in women’ locations.”

Narissa Rahman, CEO of Equality in Virginiaa statewide homosexual advocacy group, mentioned Roem’s “victory is groundbreaking and inspiring for the way forward for our commonwealth.”

“Senator-elect Roem’s victory reveals, as soon as once more, that anti-LGBT insurance policies and private assaults are a dropping technique within the Commonwealth,” she mentioned in a press release. statement. “From the start, Danica has put her constituents first: specializing in the problems that matter most to her district. We all know she’s going to proceed to do this within the Senate, and we’re thrilled that her constituents see what we see: a devoted, efficient, and robust chief for all Virginians.”

Roem wasn’t the one one from Virginia’s LGBTQ group to emerge victorious this week: Based on the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, eight different overtly homosexual candidates received state legislative seats on Tuesday, together with three who weren’t incumbents.

The success of LGBTQ candidates in Virginia was a part of a broader “rainbow wave” this 12 months, in accordance with the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. The group mentioned it has tracked greater than 200 victories for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates to this point this 12 months, together with not less than 148 wins on Tuesday.