Democrat candidate Danica Roem became the first transgender state legislator of Virginia, United States, after defeating 13-term Republican incumbent Robert Marshall on Tuesday.
Roem’s campaign focused on issues such as reducing traffic on a congested state highway, but her victory was more pronounced because her opponent, Marshall, had once called himself Virginia’s “chief’s homophobe” and openly fought against transgender rights, The Washington Post reported. During campaigns leading up to the vote, Marshall refused to take part in debates against Roem, and several times used male pronouns while talking about her.
Earlier this year, he also introduced a bill that would have made it necessary for Virginians using public restrooms to walk into the one that corresponds with their gender at birth, Business Insider reported.
“Discrimination is a disqualifier,” Roem told The Washington Post on Tuesday night. Roem is a former journalist. She will be sworn-in in January.
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