Despite the consistent acts of discrimination against the LGBTQ community that typically take place in society, two transgendered women are not only running for Congress, but won congressional primaries in separate states that earned them a spot on the ballot to win a seat in Congress for the upcoming election in November.
Both women named Misty, make their mark on history as they become the first trans people to run the race for a spot in senate. Democrat Misty K. Snow, 30, from Salt Lake City, Utah beat out Democrat Jonathan Swinton by nearly 20 percent in the race and will run against Republican Senator Mike Lee in November. Democrat Misty Plowright, 33, from Colorado beat out Donald Martinez with 58 percent of the vote will now run against Republican Doug Lamborn for her seat in congress in November.
The Huffington Post describes the race as “a long shot” for either to get elected due to the Republican, conservative history of each state. With the fight for equality holding strong and pushing forth, it is very possible for either to win their states because they are already in the race to begin with. Misty Snow has been working as a grocery store cashier for 13 years. She advocates for policies like paid family leave, reduced or free college tuition, higher minimum wage, and the legalization of marijuana. Plowright is a US Army veteran who was given honorable discharge in 2002 and advocates for income equality, education and police reform, voting rights, climate change, and foreign diplomacy, according to Teen Vogue.
Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Equality Forum which is a LGBTQ rights group, spoke on the topic. “In what is already shaping up to be one of the most consequential elections for LGBT equality in more than a generation, yesterday’s primary wins by two transgender women candidates continues to add to the historic nature of November’s election,” said Lazin, “In many different ways, such as by running for office as an openly LGBT candidate or serving our country in uniform, LGBT people continue to show that we are as much a part of the fabric of America as anybody else.”
