Andrea Jenkins becomes first openly transgender woman of color elected to U.S. public office

A polling place.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

By winning a seat on the Minneapolis City Council Tuesday night, Andrea Jenkins is now the first openly transgender woman of color elected to public office in the United States.

Jenkins has worked as a policy aid to the council's vice president, and campaigned on raising the minimum wage and making housing more affordable. She defeated three other candidates to win the seat in Ward 8, and told the Minneapolis Star Tribune she is "feeling elated" and "really, really deeply proud of my community." History was also made in Virginia, where Danica Roem became the country's first openly transgender state lawmaker.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.