Poetic Justice: A Republican Who Wrote an Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill Just Got Beat by a Trans Woman

Just a quick piece of incredible news: Danica Roem, a 33-year-old woman, just became the first transgender candidate to win a state legislature seat in America. Even better, she defeated Republican incumbent Robert G. Marshall in their Virginia Prince William County district. Marshall had served for 26 years, and recently referred to himself as the state’s “chief homophobe.” He refused to call Roem a woman, and co-authored a so-called “bathroom bill” that would have required citizens to use public bathrooms that correspond to their birth gender. A similar bill passed in North Carolina, and is widely seen as discriminatory toward trans people. When Marshall’s bill died in committee, he railed against his colleagues. During the campaign against Roem, he released ads misgendering her, and accusing her of “lewd behavior.”

In other words, this is a beautiful piece of poetic justice against a bigot. Election night is going to be very good for Democrats, and this story won’t get top billing, but it deserves attention—Roem just made history.