Metalhead makes history as first transgender US state legislator

An American Democrat made history on Tuesday by becoming Virginia's - and possibly the nation's - first openly transgender state delegate, winning her bid for a seat in the legislature. In a campaign that garnered national attention, musician and former journalist Danica Roem, 33, prevailed in her race against Republican Robert Marshall, who has served as a delegate for a quarter century and once referred to himself as Virginia's "chief homophobe." With 95% of the vote counted, Roem was leading with 55% of the vote against Marshall's 45%. The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund described Roem as the only out transgender person in US history to win a seat in a state legislature. "Tonight voters chose a smart, solutions-oriented trans leader over a divisive anti-LGBTQ demagogue, sending a powerful message to anti-trans legislators all across the nation," Victory Fund president Aisha Moodie-Mills said in a statement. Roem rode to victory on strong fundraising by the Victory Fund and other pro-LGBT groups and voters, which helped her grass-roots effort to raise awareness of her campaign in Virginia's Prince William County. She will now serve two years in the House of Delegates in Richmond, where Democrats gained several seats Tuesday and appeared close to seizing control of the legislature from Republicans. The former journalist emphasised last month that she was not entering politics to be an LGBTQ symbol, under a president who recently banned transgender people from serving in the military. Instead she aimed to take on municipal issues using the knowledge she amassed during nearly a decade covering local news for the Gainesville Times paper.  

'Uniquely qualified'

In her campaign headquarters, a photo of Roem shows her playing a Dean Warbird ML-X guitar that features a V-shaped head, and she explains she plays a "combination of thrash metal and melodic death metal". "I am a vocalist," she says. "I don't like to say singer - singer is for people who sing well." "I have a microphone and I yell into it" Despite her insistence that she is "not running to be a symbolic candidate," her voice has carried well outside Virginia state lines, and her campaign has garnered national attention. More than 6,500 people have made spontaneous donations in support of her political efforts. The president of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, an organization dedicated to improving the visibility of LGBTQ people in politics, donated $115,000 to her. The money - always a crucial factor in US political campaigns - allowed her to hire a team of 11 people who survey the district, make phone calls and distribute flyers.

Victory against 'chief homophobe'

The septuagenarian Marshall - a staunch gay marriage opponent - refused to use the pronoun "she" when referring to Roem during the campaign, and he also refuses to debate her. In a brief statement on Facebook, Marshall thanked his supporters. "For 26 years I've been proud to fight for you, and fight for our future. Though we all wish tonight would have turned out differently, I am deeply grateful for your support and effort over the years," he wrote.