A transgender woman has been elected to office in Wisconsin for the first time. Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford was elected to Madison’s city council in a tight race. She won by 54 votes.
Martinez Rutherford says she decided to run for city council last November after seeing what she called a rise in transphobia spread across the United States.
In addition to helping Madison’s trans community, Martinez-Rutherford also campaigned on affordable housing. Her win aside, there are no other out trans women elected officials in the state, according to LGBTQ+Victory Institute, which tracks diversity in government representation.