Washington, DC – Today LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, endorsed Danica Roem for the Virginia state Senate. Roem announced her candidacy for state Senate today and Victory Fund is her first endorsement.
Roem currently serves in the Virginia House of Delegates. If elected, she would be the first out trans person ever elected to the Virginia state Senate and only the second out trans person ever elected to a state senate anywhere in the U.S. There are currently 16 out LGBTQ elected officials in Virginia and just eight out trans state legislators in the entire country.
When Roem won her election for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2018, she became the first out trans person ever to win and serve in a state legislature. She remains the longest serving out trans legislator in history.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about the endorsement:
“Victory Fund is proud to endorse Danica and support her historic campaign. Since becoming the first out trans state legislator in U.S. history, she has proven herself a brilliant lawmaker, courageous advocate and inspiring leader. Her voice in the Virginia House of Delegates has been critical for her constituents and transformative for our community. Danica proves that despite the dark chapter we find ourselves in, there is much to look forward to. Her election will be a deafening rejection of the anti-trans rhetoric and attacks currently sweeping our country.”
Roem released the following statement about the endorsement:
“I’m grateful to have earned the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s endorsement for my 2023 campaign for the 30th District of the Virginia state Senate. In 2017, we worked together to unseat the self-described ‘chief homophobe’ of Virginia in the House of Delegates as I became the first out-and-seated transgender state legislator in American history. My election that night inspired transgender people across the country to step up and run for office and, today, there are now eight out-and-seated trans state legislators actively serving in American state legislatures, including my friend state Sen. Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first out trans state senator in the country.
“Now serving in my third term in the Virginia House of Delegates, I’ve seen first-hand the good we can do when we have a seat at the table. We’ve now passed 32 of my bills into law, including three to protect LGBTQ Virginians among the two dozen pro-equality pieces of legislation we passed from 2020-2021. I’ve demonstrated an ability to work across the aisle for the common good, whether it’s been passing 10 of my bills to feed hungry kids or my other bills signed into law to expand health insurance coverage for trans people and those in the limb loss community alike. Yet I’ve also strongly spoken out against actions meant to hurt my LGBTQ constituents and in support of policies that can help them thrive.
“At a time when discriminatory state legislators are attacking their own constituents by filing hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills nationwide — including here in Virginia — it’s critical that we keep a pro-equality majority in the Virginia state Senate, complete with representation from our community. Representation matters and together with the Victory Fund, we’ll continue delivering it at a time when Virginia needs our leadership the most. We made history together in 2017. It’s time to do it again. Join us.”
More information about all of Victory Fund’s endorsed candidates is available at victoryfund.org/ourcandidates.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve.