James Roesener makes history as the first out trans man elected to state legislature in US

The 26-year-old Democrat ran on a platform to reinvest in New Hampshire’s education and healthcare systems with a committment to protect reproductive rights in the state

New Hampshire Democrat James Roesener became the first trans man in US history to win election to a state legislature on Tuesday night amid a record number of trans candidates running for elected office in the 2022 midterms.

The 26-year-old Democrat won New Hampshire’s 22nd state House District, Ward 8, reported the Victory Fund, an American political action committee committed to increasing the number of openly LGBTQ public officials in the US.

The group, which tracks races across the country from the state to the federal level, reported that more than 1,000 trans candidates were on the ballot in 2022. That was a record turnout for a country that currently has just eight out trans state legislators across the US, with none of them being trans men.

In lower levels of office, the group reports that across the country there are only six out trans men serving in elected office.

Mr Roesener’s win was celebrated by the Victory Fund’s current president and CEO, Annise Parker, who heaped praise on the young lawmaker for “shattering a lavender ceiling” and guaranteed that he would deliver on his promises to provide “lasting results for his community”, which included protecting reproductive rights and reinvesting in the state’s healthcare system.

“Tonight is a resounding win for New Hampshire and for trans people across the country, with James shattering a lavender ceiling and proving that America is ready for trans men leaders in our state legislatures,” said the former Houston mayor in a statement shared on the group’s website.

“At a time of intensifying transphobia at all levels of government and society, he showed incredible courage throughout his historic campaign. Trans people – and trans men in particular – remain severely underrepresented in government at every level, but we are confident his win will inspire many more trans people to run for office.”

While Mr Roesener is the first trans man to be elected to state office, he isn’t alone in being an openly transgender elected official in New Hampshire. There are also state representatives Lisa Bunker, a Democrat representing Rockingham District 18, and Gerri Cannon, one of the state’s first openly transgender lawmakers.

In Mr Roesener’s biography, shared on the Victory Fund’s website, he describes how he feels uniquely prepared for the role of elected office, having been forced to face many uphill battles in his young life for the causes he cares most deeply about.

“I was born an advocate for the underdog and have never been afraid to stand up for what I truly believe in,” he writes, adding that he plans to support legislation that supports “defending the freedom all people by taking away barriers to shelter, education, healthcare, voting, and other basic necessities for a quality life.”

Mr Roesener’s victory wasn’t the only historic win from Tuesday night. Democrat Maura Healey’s victory over Republican Geoff Diehl signalled multiple glass ceiling-smashing firsts as she became the first woman and first out gay person elected as Massachusetts governor.

The Democrat’s win flipped an eight-year rule of Republican governors and saw the 51-year-old, who currently serves as the state’s attorney general, go down in the history books as the first openly lesbian governor in US history.

The New Hampshire state representative’s win arrives just five years after Danica Roem became the first openly transgender person elected to and seated in a US state legislature, a title she claimed after winning a seat in Virginia’s House of Delegates. Last November, Ms Roem was reelected for her third term.