Senator Danica Roem Encourages Transgender Visibility

By Joel McDonald

The Daily Progress reports on an appearance by Democratic Virginia State Senator Danic Roem at the Virginia Festival of the Book held in Charlottesville on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Roem, who published her memoir Burn the Page in 2022, discussed her book and answered questions about her running for office in 2016 against a Republican labeling himself as “Virginia’s chief homophobe” and winning, her accent to the Virginia State Senate, and the importance of transgender visibility and transgender candidates running for public office.

“I tell other trans people who want to run for office, ‘The most important thing you can do is be vulnerable enough to be visible,’” Senator Roem said. “‘And put yourself out there in the first place, knowing full well it’s not always going to be a safe environment for you.’”

Roem’s appearance and comments come just before Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, a day to recognize and celebrate transgender individuals within the LGBTQ+ community. The day was created as a counter to Transgender Day of Remembrance, which commemorates the loss of transgender individuals to violence. President Joe Biden was the first president to issue a presidential proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021. He has since issued similar proclamations recognizing the day in 2022 and 2023.

During her appearance, Senator Roem also fielded a question about Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears misgendering her on the Senate floor. Roem was graceful in her response, focusing on the support she received after the incident, including from Republican members of the General Assembly.

Senator Roem received the endorsement of LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia in all her campaigns for the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate in 2023. She received the LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia Grassroots Award in 2017 as a first-time openly LGBT+ candidate who ran for the Virginia General Assembly.