Danica Roem has just made history. The openly transgender journalist from Manassas, Va., has just won the Democratic primary for the 13th district seat in Virginia's House of Delegates, NBC reports.
She is the first openly transgender candidate to win a primary in Virginia, and the first transgender lawmaker in the state if she wins. But, Roem is running against conservative Republican Del. Bob Marshall, a 13-term incumbent in the district.
According to U.S. News & World Report, Marshall frequently sponsors conservative bills that don't often pass—including a transgender bathroom bill similar to the infamous HB2 in North Carolina, which bans transgender people from using the bathroom of their gender identity in government buildings.
He also attempted to pass an amendment that banned the same-sex marriage part of the Virginia constitution, according to the Washington Blade, but the amendment was overturned in court.
Roem knows what she's up against, and is very aware of her positive impact. "Let me make this really clear for you: When the people of the 13th District elect a transgender woman to replace the most anti-LGBT legislator in the South, it will be an act of certainty, and it will be a defining moment that will resonate across the country,” she said at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund Brunch in May.
Thank you all! I'll have a lot more to say later. For now: we know how to defeat Del. Bob Marshall (R). We're ready. #NoH8#FixRoute28
— Danica Roem (@pwcdanica) June 14, 2017
The general election will be held Nov. 7. Based on the high turnout for the primary that worked in Roem's favor, voters in the 13th district could be looking forward to making history again.
