Last night Democrat and metalhead Danica Roem became Virginia’s first openly transgender person—and likely its first shredders—to be elected to state legislature. In a highly covered election, she defeated long-standing incumbent Del. Robert G. Marshal—a conservative Republican and self-described “chief homophobe” who introduced a bill to legislate the use of bathrooms by gender earlier this year.

A former community journalist and a mainstay of Virginia’s metal community, playing thrash band Cab Ride Home, Roem focused her political platform on transportation, education, and diversity, among other issues. Her victory was one in a in a sweep of elections that many have called a backlash to Trump, with many women, LGBTQ,  immigrants, and minorities achieving landmark wins across the country.

In a June, 2017 interview with Noisey editor Kim Kelly, Danica Roem said, “Just because I sing in a heavy metal band while spinning my head in circles and getting paid to do it, why can’t I run for government? Why would I have to change who I am in order to run for government? I’ve already had to go through transformative change.”

Just months later, her words have proved right and only one question remains: Will she play her own inauguration party? We’ll just have to wait and see….

Congratulations, Danica!