first openly trans woman of color elected in minneapolis

Tuesday night was a night of many firsts, as the election night following the one that brought Donald Trump to office seemed to swing the pendulum toward the Democrats. But one of the most historic outcomes of the night was the election of Andrea Jenkins to Minneapolis City Council who, along with Virginia’s Danica Roem, became one of two of the first openly trans people to win publicly elected positions (Althea Garrison was elected in Massachusetts in 1992, but her identity was outed).

Jenkins has the additional recognition of being the first openly transgender woman of color. According to her bio, she has 25 years of public service experience, previously working as a policy aide to two former city council members. Her focus is on community development, and is also an artist and scholar.

So dope!