Heavy Metal Singer Makes History Again, Becomes First Transgender Person To Be Re-Elected To State Legislature

November 6, 2019

Danica Roem, the first openly transgender person to be elected to a U.S. statehouse seat, was reelected to her Virginia seat on Tuesday. Roem is the longtime lead singer of a metal band called CAB RIDE HOME.

Democrat Roem, a former journalist for the Montgomery County Sentinel and a lifelong resident of Manassas, Virgina, bested her Republican opponent Kelly McGinn by a 57-43 margin. She will continue to represent the 13th District in the Virginia House of Delegates — encompassing Manassas, Manassas Park, Gainesville, and Haymarket.

"Danica Roem has once again made history, becoming the longest-serving and first openly transgender elected official to be re-elected in our nation's history," Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David said in a statement (via The Daily Beast). "Throughout her tenure in the House of Delegates, Roem has remained focused on the needs of her constituents, despite hateful and divisive attacks from anti-LGBTQ groups and her opponents."

"In 2017, Danica wrote the playbook on how transgender candidates can defeat anti-LGBTQ opponents through authenticity and attention to everyday issues—and her reelection victory sets it in stone," Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in a statement.

Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal, said in a statement: "Two years ago, Danica Roem broke an important barrier when she became the first openly transgender person elected to the Virginia statehouse. Today, she made history again as the first to be re-elected! This historic victory is a meaningful affirmation that transgender Americans belong in every aspect of public life — at work, in our armed forces, and in elected office."

Roem, who was three years old when her father, John Paul Roem, took his own life, began her physical gender transition in 2012. Three years later, she legally changed her first name from "Dan" to "Danica."

CAB RIDE HOME released its debut album, "Crash The Gate", in 2017. According to the band's web site, its style of music is "drunken thrash metal" and the "songs are about drinking and ... raging."

"Just because I sing in a heavy metal band while spinning my head in circles and getting paid to do it, why can't I run for government? Why would I have to change who I am in order to run for government? I've already had to go through transformative change," Danica told Noisey two and a half years ago.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).