LGBTQ/POLITICS: “Virginia Democrat Danica Roem has been called a man by conservative opponents attacking her views on LGBT rights as she campaigns to become the United States’ only transgender state legislator.
Roem does not shy away from her gender identity. In one campaign ad, she applies makeup at a bathroom mirror and takes hormone pills. But rather than focus on the politics of running as a transgender woman, she prefers to discuss traffic gridlock and other issues in the Nov. 7 election for the Virginia House of Delegates.
‘Transgender people are just as qualified to say, *Hey, I can’t stand being stuck in traffic right now. I have some ideas to fix this,*’ said Roem, a 33-year-old journalist. ‘We can be leaders on transportation. We can be leaders on economic development, and yeah, we can be leaders on civil rights too.’
Her candidacy comes as more transgender men and women are vying for voices in the political arena where they have been targeted by conservative lawmakers seeking to limit their rights, most notably by restricting bathroom access.
U.S. elections this year could double the country’s number of transgender officeholders, currently at six, according to the Victory Fund, which works to elect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates. The group has endorsed eight transgender candidates up for election this fall.”
-Letitia Stein, “Out for votes: Battle over rights inspires more U.S. transgender candidates,” Reuters, Oct. 31, 2017 03:11am