It's hard, I know, to find any silver linings for our community in the results of Tuesday's election. But it's there if you look.

Foremost, we should acknowledge the tremendous accomplishment made by Sarah McBride in Delaware.

McBride was elected to the U. S. House with 57.9% of the votes cast. I'm not going to lie--I almost started crying from happiness when I heard that result. It is only one race in a liberal state, but it is also proof that a transgender person can succeed against the bigotry and prejudice if given the chance. And it also shows that the electorate can judge a trans person on their merits and not their gender. Brava, Sarah!

You may not have seen it, but there were other transgender politicians who won in their races, too.

https://preview.redd.it/uqfmpgcr6qzd1.jpg?width=1450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4187dcd87d7c57650aec2b7f1a753d83b09b920

In Montana, State Representative Zooey Zephyr received 80% of the vote in gaining reelection in her district! That's incredible and again, a testament to the acceptance of a transgender candidate who appeals to all genders.

Finally, Aime Wichtendahl won her race to represent State House District 80 in Iowa with 52.4% of the vote. She becomes the first transgender politician in Iowa history to be elected to a state level office.

So, the glimmers of hope are there if you look close. Yes, these are isolated occurrences, small steps, but important ones. Every trans person elected to office gives us a voice where there wasn't one before. And becoming a force politically will benefit us far more than venting on social media.

--- Anni 🏳️‍⚧️