Rosemary Ketchum has won a seat on a City Council in West Virginia, making her the first openly transgender elected official in the state.
The 26-year-old is one of 27 openly transgender elected officials currently serving in the United States. Ketchum was elected to the Wheeling City Council, after running on a platform addressing affordable housing and opioid addiction. She has lived in Wheeling for the past 10 years.
In a statement to CNN, Ketchum said: "I hope that this election helps us push the needle in West Virginia so that we can fully embrace the power of culture, diversity, and representation in politics. I ran for office because I believe the job of an elected official is to reflect the values of their community in the actions of their leadership and that is why I am excited to serve."
Ketchum has served on the board of ACLU West Virginia and is a member of Wheeling's Human Rights Commission. She is also the associate director of NAMI of Greater Wheeling - and an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, per the publication.
The LGBTQ Victory Fund congratulated Ketchum on her win, tweeting "HISTORY MADE: [Rosemary Ketchum] just won a seat on the Wheeling City Council and is now the first out trans person ever elected in West Virginia! She will be one of just 27 out trans elected officials in the entire nation."
Taking to Twitter herself to announce the news, Ketchum wrote, "I am thrilled! Thanks to everyone who has been so incredibly kind. Running for office isn't easy but your support makes it well worth it. <3 [sic]." Speaking to The Intelligencer in June of 2019, Ketchum said: "I feel excited to represent inclusivity. But I'm not making my campaign about my gender identity or anything like that. We have too many systemic problems we have to address."
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