TORONTO -- Delaware is the first state to elect an openly transgender person to its state senate.
Democrat Sarah McBride, a trans-rights activist who served as a White House intern under former U.S. president Barack Obama, defeated Republican Steve Washington.
She is now the highest-ranking transgender person in the United States.
“I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too,” she said on social media Tuesday night.
LPAC, which endorses and promotes LGBTQ women seeking political office, tweeted after her victory: “You have trailblazed, inspired, and given all of us hope. Your historic election tonight is a remarkable reminder that we can work together for a brighter, more inclusive, and queerer future. Onward!”
McBride began to gain national attention when she spoke at the 2016 National Convention after fighting a law in North Carolina that limited transgendered people’s access to public bathrooms.
The state partially repealed the bill after a backlash.
Vermont elected Taylor Small, an out transgender woman to its state legislature on Tuesday. She’s now the fifth transgender state legislator in the country and the first in Vermont, according to LGBTQ Nation.
