Virginia elects first transgender official, defeating infamous bigot

November 9, 2017
Issue 
Danica Roem.

Democrat Danica Roem beat Republican Bob Marshall in elections for Virginia’s general assembly in Virginia, The Intercept reported on November 8, to become the state’s first-ever elected transgender official.

Roem is a former journalist who focused her race on the terrible traffic in the district. Meanwhile, The Intercept said Marshall is an extreme “culture warrior” who sponsored the state’s bathroom bill, banning transgender people from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.

The Intercept interviewed Marshall on November 7 at a polling booth in his district, in which he repeatedly misgendered his opponent. Marshall said: “You can’t change your sex, it’s not even a debatable proposition.”

He also reiterated other hard-line, right-wing positions on issues such as opposing the expansion of Medicaid.

In other races, the elections featured victories by several candidates running on left-leaning platforms as well as the defeat of hard-right Republicans. The Intercept noted on November 9: “A civil rights attorney who delights in suing the police is the new district attorney in Philadelphia. A democratic socialist shocked an incumbent Republican in Virginia. A black woman who prosecuted a white cop for shooting a black teenager was re-elected as prosecutor. Three months after Charlottesville, a black lieutenant governor was elected in Virginia.”

“A criminal justice reformer flipped the Washington state Senate to Democrats. A wet bag of mulch beat a race-baiting lobbyist in Virginia by a stunning nine points. Maine voters expanded Medicaid. Long-held Republican seats in Georgia flipped in a special election. New Jersey, finished with Gov. Chris Christie, elected a Democrat in a landslide.”

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