Come January, history will be made as a transgender woman, Danica Roem, will become the very first out transgender person to be elected to and serve in a state legislature.

To start this article off, it is important to note that Danica is not the very first trans person to be elected to state legislature. As I stated, I said "out" transgender person. The person who shattered that ceiling was Althea Garrison. Althea was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1993, and served from 1994-1995. She was not publicly out when elected, nor has she ever publicly stated her transgender status. A story became live in the conservative-leaning Boston Herald that revealed Garrison's old male name and her name change petition from 1976.

Roem ran as a Democrat in the 2017 election for the 13th District of the Virginia House of Delegates against Republican Bob Marshall, who has been the office's incumbent for the past 25 years. She came out as a transgender woman in 2013.

According to an article from The Hill, "Marshall, who referred to himself as Virginia's "chief homophobe," refused to publicly debate Roem. Ads by Marshall's campaign also referred to Roem by her birth gender."

Roem and her supporters outraised Marshall 3-1, knocked on doors over 75,000 times, appeared in numerous interviews, and maintained a strong social media presence. Her campaign really showed the power of grassroots work.

This 2017 election that took place Tuesday, November 7th, has showed what has been called "The Blue Wave of the East Coast", predicting several key victories being won by Democrats down-ballot in states such as Virginia, including Roem, and New Jersey. These wins have the nation looking towards the 2018 midterm elections where control of the House of Representatives and the Senate will become up for grabs.

This election, also, indicates the mood post-Trump election. It's no surprise that a many in the nation, from Democrats to Independents to Republicans, were unhappy with the 2016 election result. Since then, the mood has remained the same, if not increased. This election showed Republican incumbents losing their seats, demonstating unhappiness with the Republican party and the Trump administration.

Danica Roem and Virginia voters have shattered a glass ceiling, and they have also set 2018 off on the right foot. It's about time we see something positive for humanity in the news for once.