Although The Ripple is dedicated to promoting human inclusivity in general—and not just for folks who are part of the LGBTQ alphabet—I do need to mark how history was made last week with the successful elections of multiple persons who identify as transgender. (Click here for a list of the eight [!!] trans people who were elected to public office on November 7.)

Most notable was Danica Roem’s election to the Virginia House of Delegates. Danica, a thirty-three-year-old former journalist whose avocation is heavy metal musician, ousted longtime delegate Robert Marshall, who billed himself as “Virginia’s chief homophobe.” Marshall, a champion of conservative values, repeatedly misgendered Danica by referring to her as “he.” Marshall also refused to debate her.

Much of Danica’s campaign was focused on local issues, including fixing horrible traffic congestion on Route 28 in her district. As reported in a Washington Post piece, this approach resonated with voters, one of whom said post-election “I don’t care about religious issues…He (Marshall) should be more mainstream.”

As the reality of the election results set in, Danica dedicated her win “to every person who’s ever been singled out, who’s ever been stigmatized, who’s ever been the misfit, who’s ever been the kid in the corner, who’s ever needed someone to stand up for them when they didn’t have a voice of their own. This one is for you.”

Very poignant words for sure!

Last week’s election gave me hope that people are fed up with the division and marginalizing that’s become so common as public discourse. I truly believe that 99 percent of all humans want to do the right thing—we just simply need to get past our fear of “other.” Often that involves having someone show us the way. Electing so many transgender humans proves that just maybe, we’re doing that.

Lastly and for what it is worth, at one time I considered running for public office. However, I believe I can do more good behind the scenes with a message of compassion for all (where I don’t have to raise money constantly) and by going to places where I’m the first transgender human most people ever meet in real life. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was tied to a political office. More about how I plan to accomplish that to a greater degree in coming issues of The Ripple .