Voters in Minneapolis on Tuesday
elected two openly transgender representatives to its City Council.
Andrea Jenkins, 56, handily won her
race with 73 percent of the vote. Jenkins, a poet and historian,
previously worked as a policy aide to two former council members.
Phillipe Cunningham, a 29-year-old
transgender man, unseated longtime incumbent Barb Johnson, the
current council president. Cunningham previously worked in the
mayor's office. Results of the race were announced on Wednesday, the
Pioneer
Press reported.
“People are saying no to hate and yes
to love,” Jenkins said.
Cunningham said that he received a
tremendous amount of support.
“I would say that in my race overall
people were overwhelmingly supportive,” Cunningham told the AP.
“And particularly around the diversity that I was bringing to the
table. Very unexpected people when they found out that I was trans
and I'm also black and queer, when they found that out, then they saw
my husband, who is also trans, they were like, 'That's who I want to
represent my neighborhood. That's who I want to be the face of my
neighborhood.'”
“There's been negativity and
ugliness, but the goodness has far outweighed it,” he
added.
Jenkins added that during the race she
named transphobia and racism as her opponents.
“It's been beautiful. It's been a
beautiful experience,” she said.
Other victories on Tuesday included
Virginia electing its first openly transgender state legislator.
(Related: Danica
Roem defeats Bob Marshall to become Virginia's first transgender
state legislator.)