The Virginia lawmaker who introduced a controversial ‘bathroom bill’ that attempted to block trans people from using their preferred public bathrooms has lost his seat to a trans woman.

Heavy metal singer and journalist Danica Roem will become the United States’ first openly trans state lawmaker, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

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73-year-old Robert Marshall, the self-professed “chief homophobe”, refused to debate Roem, referred to her by male pronouns, and ran attack ads highlighting Roem’s trans status.

Despite the ugly campaign, preliminary results show Roem has won the vote by almost 10 percentage points.

Roem said her campaign was about more than gender.

“Transgender people have really good public policy ideas that span the gamut of transportation policy to health care policy to education policy, and yes, to civil rights as well,” she said.

“We shouldn’t just be pigeonholed into the idea that we’re just going to be fighting about bathrooms.”

Roem will be the first openly trans person to sit in a US state legislature.

On the same day as Roem’s win, openly trans black woman Andrea Jenkins was elected to Minneapolis City Council.

Trans people and allies worldwide are thrilled with both victories, seeing them as progress for trans representation.

“Proud of progress!” tweeted Miley Cyrus.

“A huge step forward,” posted another person.

Others are just pleased to see an alternative musician elected as legislator, with one Twitter user calling Roem’s win “metal as fuck”.

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