"Danica Roem's Historic Election as Virginia's First Transgender State Senator"
Danica Roem has made history as the first openly transgender person to be elected to Virginia's state Senate. Roem, a Democrat, defeated Republican candidate Bill Woolf in the race for Virginia's 30th District. She campaigned on issues such as improving infrastructure, education, and healthcare, rather than making her sexual identity central to her campaign. Roem's win comes at a time when an increasing number of LGBTQ+ candidates are running for political office, despite the introduction of over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures across the country.