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Andrea Jenkins Just Became The First Trans Woman Of Color Elected To Public Office

"We don't just want a seat at the table, we want to set the table.”

Andrea Jenkins was elected to Minneapolis City Council yesterday, becoming the first African-American trans woman ever to win public office in the U.S.

Jenkins, a former policy aide to two city council members, was running in Ward 8, where she won beat out three other candidates to take 73% of the vote.

Like other trans candidates, she didn't shy away from her identity but she didn't make it the core of her campaign:

Jenkins focused on police reform, affordable housing, and raising the minimum wage.

“As an African American trans-identified woman, I know firsthand the feeling of being marginalized, left out, thrown under the bus," she said in her victory speech. "Those days are over. We don't just want a seat at the table, we want to set the table.”

She was one of several transgender women to win office yesterday: In California, Lisa Middleton won a seat on the Palm Springs City Council, while in Virginia Danica Roem became the first trans candidate to be elected to the Virginia Legislature. She defeated transphobic Republican incumbent Bob Marshall for a spot in the House of Delegates.

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