Trans woman beats 'chief homophobe' in historic Virginia race
History was made in Virginia on Tuesday when a 33-year-old woman became the state's first openly transgender elected official.
And to top off the momentous win, Democrat Danica Roem unseated a Republican incumbent who calls himself the state's "chief homophobe."
Roem, a journalist and metal-loving mom, beat out 26-year incumbent Robert G. Marshall, 73, for the House of Delegates seat that represents Prince William County.
The win had LGBTQ advocates -- and Democrats seeking to turn the tide against Trumpian-style candidates -- cheering.
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Roem ran on a campaign focused on traffic issues, according to The Washington Post. Marshall refused to debate her and misgendered her by using male pronouns in attack ads, the newspaper reported.
Beyond reveling in his "chief homophobe" title, Marshall also modeled legislation on North Carolina's controversial bathroom bill. His, which aimed to prevent transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice, failed.
Roem joins a small club of openly transgender elected officials at a time when LGBTQ issues face political challenges. Trump's ban on transgender people serving in the military was partially blocked by a D.C. judge recently and North Carolina's bathroom bill has been repealed, but the fight goes on.
Topics Activism LGBTQ Social Good
Brittany Levine Beckman was Mashable's managing editor. She enjoys crafting feature ideas, learning new things, and party parrots. Before working at Mashable, she covered community news at the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register. That's how she met a zonkey and the tallest man in the world.
