Trans candidate could make history in Virginia House race

A Democratic candidate who happens to be transgender could make history in the Virginia House.

Danica Roem hopes to be successful in the Virginia House of Delegates elections which will take place on 7 November.

She goes against Del Bob Marshall, a strong opponent of LGBT rights.

Danica Roem is a Democratic candidate in the elections, and says the election is about “local issues”.

“The top issue we face in the 13th District is fixing Route 28 so morning rush hour isn’t unbearable. It was awful in 1992 and it’s awful today. It’s time to change it,” Roem wrote on her website.

RELATED: Transgender candidate faces vile slurs from her Republican opponent

The transgender political activist is challenging Republican incumbent Bob Marshall, a strong opponent of LGBT equality.

“Danica clearly is out here doing this for making a marker in the national character that you can engage in this behavior – which clearly goes against the laws of nature and nature’s God – and hold public office to make decisions on behalf of the common good,” Marshall said in an interview this weekend.

“That is what is kind of at stake here.”

“If someone goes through the process of changing their sex — I don’t think it’s very smart because such people have very high rates of self-harm. That’s documented, not from me,” Marshall added to the Washington Post.

“But if they go through that, fine. Let them use that bathroom.”

Ahead of the election, Marshall has refused to debate with Roem, has repeatedly referred to her as a man, and deliberately misgenders her at every opportunity.

In an interview last month he challenged a reporter for referring to Roem as female, asking: “Why do you call Danica a female? Did Danica’s DNA change?”

Though her campaign has broadly focused on local and national political issues, Roem hit back at Marshall’ smears this week with an ad that embraces her identity as a trans woman.