10/28/2021
Why did Danica Roem decide to run for the state legislature in 2017? "Because I'm fed up with the frickin' road over in my hometown," she said. She campaigned on core promises like fixing congestion on Route 28 in her northern Virginia county.
When she won, she also made history as the first openly transgender person to be elected to a state legislature.
Of making history, Danica said: "I want to make sure that when people see me, they go: 'Yeah, she's transgender, and she's a really, really good policy wonk. Yeah, she's transgender, and she has a really good bill to fix Route 28.' It's not trans 'but.' It's trans 'and.'"
Happy birthday to this gutsy woman and history-maker who has been doing the work of fixing Prince William County's congestion problems—just as she promised.
Danica's story is one of over 100 that Chelsea and I included in our new book, "Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience." It's out tomorrow! https://simonandschuster.com/books/The-Book-of-Gutsy-Women/Hillary-Rodham-Clinton/9781501178412