If you’re in the United States, you might be glued to your TV or your computer, waiting for 2020 Presidential election results.

But among all the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the 2020 election is some very good news for transgender people. We made history in 2020 by winning Senate and House races! Here’s some of the news you might have missed:

• Sarah McBride became the first transgender woman to win election to the US Senate.
• Taylor Small became the first transgender individual to win a seat in the Vermont legislature.
• Stephanie Byers became the first trans person elected to the Kansas legislature.
• Brianna Titone, the first transgender legislator in Colorado, won a second term.
• Lisa Bunker, one of two transgender legislators in New Hampshire, won a second term
• Mauree Turner became the first non-binary legislator in the history of the United States and will serve their first term in the Oklahoma senate.

Regardless of your feelings about the rest of the election or about politics in general, these wins are something to celebrate.

Millions of young transgender people and their families can feel hopeful for their own futures now. One of the things that parents often worry about is whether their trans kids’ identities will limit their futures. That is, will discrimination dampen their dreams, leaving doors that should be open to them fully closed and locked?

But if you look at this impressive list of transgender legislators, you can see that even in deeply conservative states such as Oklahoma and Kansas, transgender people won elections. Not only will these new legislators be able to serve in state and federal government, but they’ll be able to use their voices to stand up for the transgender community.

That’s important, because sometimes trans issues seem to take a back seat to everything else, especially during the crises that we face as a nation right now thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the struggle for racial justice. (How often did you hear trans issues even mentioned during the long political campaign season we just got through?)

These transgender legislators are also role models for young trans people to look up to. Seeing people who are just like them in important positions can help trans kids feel visible and empower them to follow their own dreams for the future.

How does this list of transgender people who have been elected in 2020 make you feel? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Ever since beginning his gender transition in 2012, Jack A Ori has been empowering transgender young adults and their families through stories to live life on their own terms more quickly and easily than he did. 

Jack regularly speaks to organizations such as PFLAG about the steps you can take to begin supporting your transgender child as well as sharing his message of empowerment, optimism, and hope on podcasts. He writes both fiction and non-fiction to encourage and empower young people; his latest novel, Reinventing Hannah, was recently named a semi-finalist in the 2020 Kindle Book Review Awards.

If you would like help walking alongside your child as they take their first steps along their gender journey, schedule a free call with Jack to discuss your situation.