Taylor Small on Tuesday won her
Democratic primary race for a Vermont state House seat.
If elected in November, Small will
become the first transgender person elected to the Vermont
Legislature.
Small, who was endorsed by the LGBTQ
Victory Fund, is currently running unopposed.
“Taylor shattered a lavender ceiling
in Vermont, but her victory is more than just a milestone in our
movement for equality,” LGBTQ Victory Fund President & CEO
Annise Parker said in a statement. “It is part of a transformative
moment in U.S. political history, with trans candidates breaking new
ground in red states and blue states and at an unprecedented pace. In
2020 alone, we can double the number of trans state legislators in
the country to eight, a remarkable opportunity given the first out
trans state legislator was elected less than three years ago. While
trans people remain severely underrepresented in elected office,
Taylor and others are building the political power we need to defeat
anti-trans legislation and change hearts and minds.”
According to the LGBTQ Victory Fund,
only four out transgender people are serving in state legislatures.
The first to win a seat was Virginia Delegate Danica Roem in 2017.
Roem not only created history with her election, but she also
unseated a vocal opponent of LGBT rights, Bob Marshall.
A second likely victory is taking shape
in Kansas, where Stephanie
Byers won her Democratic primary earlier this month.