When Donald Trump was elected last year, many Americans were left flabbergasted by the result. His racist, misogynistic rhetoric promised a new era in America which had many people, especially minorities, scared for their future.
Today, however, the country had local elections for mayors and governors and the results in some states are decidedly un-Trump-esque. A transgender women beat a man who introduced the infamous bathroom bill, while a gun victim’s boyfriend beat a delegate firmly in bed with the NRA.
Democrat Danica Roem, an openly transgender 33-year-old, claimed victory in Virginia, unseating a man who referred to himself as the state’s “chief homophobe”.
Robert G. Marshall was first elected in 1991 and throughout the election; he refused to debate Roem, declined most interview requests and kept his schedule private.
He would use male pronouns for Roem and described her to Breitbart News (colour us shocked) as “a guy who thinks he’s a girl who wears a dress”. He also criticised her for “promoting transgender education in public school for children as young as 5 years old”.
“You can’t change your sex, it’s not even a debatable proposition,” he insisted after introducing a failed anti-trans toilet bill.
Her win speaks volumes to the Trump administration’s hostility toward the transgender community, including his recent attempt to ban them serving in the military and joking that VP Mike Pence wants to “hang them [members of LGBTIQ community] all”.
Minneapolis City Council also elected Andrea Jenkins to power – an openly trans woman of colour.
In Virginia’s House of Delegates, another Democratic candidate unseated a long-term Republican.
Chris Hurst was a first time candidate had an unusually high name recognition thanks to six years as a reporter and anchor for the local TV station.
His name became more well-known globally after his girlfriend, Alison Parker, was shot and killed during a live broadcast in 2015 – a tragedy which saw support flood in for him from as far as Sydney Australia.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is blaming the considerable Republican losses on his candidates not being Trumpy enough.
The revolution is coming.
