Right-wing media react in disgust after openly transgender candidates win historic elections

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Written by Alex Morash & Brennan Suen

Published

Right-wing media reacted in disgust to the historic November 7 win by Danica Roem -- one of a number of openly transgender candidates, including Andrea Jenkins in Minnesota, to take races that day. Anti-LGBTQ websites The Federalist and LifeSite News joined a handful of white nationalists in attacking Roem, a transgender woman who is set to be the first openly transgender candidate elected and seated in a state legislature in U.S. history, after her win in Virginia. Right-wing figures called her “transgendered” and a man, compared her to a Nazi, and said her “claim to fame is transgenderism.”

Transgender woman Danica Roem makes history by winning Virginia state delegate race against anti-LGBTQ lawmaker

Mother Jones: “Danica Roem will become the first openly transgender person to be elected and serve as a state legislator, after ousting one of the country’s most anti-LGBT lawmakers” in the process. On November 7, Mother Jones reported that Democrat Danica Roem made history by becoming “the first openly transgender person to be elected and serve as a state legislator” after she defeated Republican incumbent Del. Bob Marshall for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. The report noted that Roem’s opponent repeatedly misgendered her and “refused to debate” her despite being “usually an outspoken lawmaker.” Mother Jones called Marshall “one of the country’s most anti-LGBT lawmakers” and added that he sponsored an anti-trans “bathroom bill” and was “known for writing Virginia’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.” From the report:

Democrat Danica Roem will become the first openly transgender person to be elected and serve as a state legislator, after ousting one of the country’s most anti-LGBT lawmakers in a closely watched Virginia House of Delegates race Tuesday. Her opponent, GOP Delegate Bob Marshall, has served in the state legislature for 26 years. He’s known for writing Virginia’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. This year he introduced a “bathroom bill”—intended to prohibit transgender individuals from using the restroom matching their gender identity; his own party killed that proposal in committee.

[...]

Marshall and his allies campaigned by running attack ads misgendering Roem and accusing her of wanting to teach kindergarteners about gender identity. Marshall, usually an outspoken lawmaker, refused to debate his opponent. Even local reporters had trouble interviewing him about the campaign, which Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University, says hurt him. “He’s [was] faced with a situation where he’s got to stand side by side, face to face with someone who represents everything he disagrees with,” Kidd told Mother Jones in a recent interview. “I think he’s demonstrated during the course of the campaign that he doesn’t have the spine to do that.” [Mother Jones, 11/07/17]

The Advocate: Andrea Jenkins makes history as “one of the first out trans people of color elected to any office in the United States.” On November 7, The Advocate reported that Andrea Jenkins made history as “the first trans person elected to a major city’s governing body and one of the first out trans people of color elected to any office in the United States” after she won a seat on the Minneapolis City Council. The report noted that she “is a historian with the Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota” and that her “priorities include developing affordable housing, raising the minimum wage, addressing youth violence as a matter of public health, and supporting minority artists.” From the report:

Andrea Jenkins has won election to the Minneapolis City Council, making her the first trans person elected to a major city’s governing body and one of the first out trans people of color elected to any office in the United States.

Jenkins won in the city’s Eighth Ward, where she had been a policy aide to departing Council Vice President Elizabeth Glidden. The Minneapolis Star Tribune had endorsed her, saying she was highly qualified and well prepared for the office. She bested three other candidates. Jenkins is a Democrat; the race is officially nonpartisan, but candidates can identify with a party label. She had the endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the Democratic Party is known in Minnesota, and of Victory Fund. She won more than 70 percent of the vote in her ward, according to the Star Tribune. [The Advocate, 11/07/17]

Anti-LGBTQ websites and white nationalists attack Roem, compare her to Nazi, call her a “man”

LifeSite headline: “Man becomes first ‘transgendered’ state rep in US history.” On November 7, right-wing and anti-LGBTQ website LifeSite ran a headline calling Roem “transgendered” and a “man.” The accompanying post repeatedly misgendered Roem and called her “a man who purports to be a woman.” From the post:

A transgender political candidate won a seat in Virginia's legislature tonight, making history for LGBT and left-wing activists and defeating one of the commonwealth's staunchest social conservative delegates.

Incumbent Del. Bob Marshall, a Republican, lost to Democrat Daniel “Danica” Roem, a man who purports to be a woman. Roem will represent Virginia's 13th district, making him the first-ever transgender state legilsator (sic). [LifeSite, 11/07/17]

WRVA Richmond called Roem the “first ever open cross dresser” to win a seat in the House of Delegates. Upworthy writer and trans activist Parker Molloy uncovered its now-deleted tweet:

[Twitter, 11/8/17]

White nationalist Richard Spencer compared Roem to Nazi general Ernst Röhm: “I guess it is genetic…”

[Twitter, 11/7/17]

White nationalist Paul Ray Ramsey: “America, was nice knowing you!”

[Twitter, 11/8/17]

White nationalist David Duke used an anti-Semitic symbol in a tweet about Roem: “Democrat Danica Roem has became the first transgender person to be elected to a state legislature (((New America)))”

[Twitter, 11/7/17; Anti-Defamation League, 6/6/16]​

The Federalist: Roem’s “claim to fame is transgenderism.” On November 8, The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway posted her analysis of Virginia’s election results, claiming that Roam’s “claim to fame is transgenderism.” From the post:

Democrats won all the top of the ballot races, but they also gained at least 13 seats in the House of Delegates. This was no small feat. Republicans previously held the House with 66 seats to Democrats’ 34. One of the switches includes the defeat of longtime conservative delegate Robert Marshall (R) by Danica Roem, whose claim to fame is transgenderism. [The Federalist, 11/08/17]