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Andrea Jenkins Becomes First Openly Transgender Black Woman to Win Public Office in America
Last night, Andrea Jenkins, a transgender woman of color, was elected to the Minneapolis City Council. She is the first openly transgender Black woman to win public office in the U.S.
Jenkins was not the only transgender woman to declare victory on Election Day. Danica Roem’s win in Virginia’s District 13 election will make her Virginia’s first out transgender public official and the nation’s only out transgender state representative.
“It’s more than just having a seat at the table. It’s having a seat at the table and being able to speak to power,” she told Twin Cities Daily Planet. “It’s about being present, and people knowing you will speak out against injustices. That alone will sometimes limit the number of injustices that happen.”
Raquel Willis, National Organizer for the Transgender Law Center, broke the news in a viral tweet.
So proud of movement auntie, Andrea Jenkins, who became the first openly trans woman of color elected to the city council of a major U.S. city. She’ll represent Ward 8 of Minneapolis! So much history being made tonight! #AJ4W8 #TransFolksCanWin #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/AJqvDt9E7q
— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) November 8, 2017
Jenkins, who won the Ward 8 seat, was a policy aide to the council’s Vice President Elizabeth Glidden and has spent decades as an activist and leader in her community. Her campaign slogan was, “Leadership, Access, Equity.”
HRC congratulates Jenkins on this immense victory.
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