For First Time, a Transgender State Senator

For the first time in US history, a state has elected a transgender state senator. Democrat Sarah McBride, who also made history as the first transgender person to speak at a major party convention, won in her heavily Democratic Delaware district, as had been expected. Politico reports that makes her "the highest-ranking openly transgender official in the country." The other four openly transgender state legislators are delegates or representatives.

"Sarah’s overwhelming victory is a powerful testament to the growing influence of transgender leaders in our politics and gives hope to countless trans people looking toward a brighter future,” former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in a statement cited by Politico. The nation's first openly transgender lawmaker was elected three years ago.