Yesterday’s Election Saw Musicians Elected to Public Office Including the First Openly Trangender Elected Official

Tuesday’s election perhaps will be remembered as a turning point for diversity in political representation, with a transgender candidate defeating an incumbent Virginia lawmaker who sponsored a bill that would have restricted which bathrooms she could use.

Democrat Danica Roem, a former journalist, is set to make history as the first voluntarily open transgender person elected and seated in a state legislature in the United States. She unseated Republican Del. Bob Marshall, one of the state’s longest serving and most socially conservative lawmakers.

Throughout her campaign, Roem openly discussed her gender identity, but it was far from her focus. Instead, she focused on jobs, schools and, with particular fervor, northern Virginia’s traffic congestion.

That being said, Roem still gracefully acknowledged that politics should be inclusive to all, saying in an interview with The Associated Press that “No matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship or who you love, if you have good public policy ideas, if you’re qualified for office, you have every right to bring your ideas to the table,” she said.

Roem, said she learned to listen to different perspectives and digest complicated policy as a reporter for the Gainesville Times and Prince William Times, skills she would bring to bear as a delegate.

Interestingly, Roem had also previously done vocals in the metal act Cab Ride Home. However, Roem isn’t the only musician in heavy music who won a state election yesterday. Justin Brannan, of metal bands Indecision and Most Precious Blood, was elected as a Democratic official for a four-year term in the New York City Council. He will be representing District 43, including the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights.

Before running for New York City Council, Brannan served as the Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs for Council member Vincent J. Gentile. Though Brannan won with a very narrow lead, he has plans to reach out to those who didn’t vote for him, saying “I understand, and I hear them too and part of my vision is to represent everyone equally. That includes everyone that didn’t vote for me.”

With regards to District 43’s diverse demographic, he said, “I don’t care if you’ve been here since birth or you’ve been here since breakfast.” And he later added one more promise, “I’m never going to stop listening, and I’m never going to stop fighting.”