Rosemary Ketchum was elected to the Wheeling City Council on Tuesday, making her the first openly transgender official in West Virginia.
What We Know:
- Ketchum’s campaign focused on a platform addressing opioid addiction and affordable housing as she explained that poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse are recurring issues for the West Virginia panhandle area where Wheeling is located. Her platform also focused on improving infrastructure, providing better resources to law enforcement, and helping small businesses flourish.
- Ketchum did not allow the topic of her identity to become the focus during her campaign, telling The Intelligencer, “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”.
- In the nonpartisan election, Ketchum won 39.3 percent of the vote, beating out three other candidates for the seat representing the Third Ward in the city. On Instagram, Ketchum shared that “running for office was never in the plan. But I have always believed that when you see something wrong you do what you can to fix it”.
- Ketchum has served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union West Virginia and is a member of Wheeling’s Human Rights Commission. She is also the associate director of NAMI of Greater Wheeling, an affiliate of the National Alliance of Mental Illness.
- The LGBTQ Victory Fund, an organization dedicated to helping LGBTQ people get elected to political office, congratulated Ketchum across social media Tuesday, saying she “has shattered a lavender ceiling in West Virginia”. Annise Parker, president of the group, added, “we know Rosemary’s race will inspire other trans people from conservative states to consider a run for office in their communities, and then those candidates will inspire others as well. That virtuous cycle is the key to building trans acceptance and political power long-term”.
HISTORY MADE: @RosemaryKetchum 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. pic.twitter.com/Ma3aMYpiTQ
— LGBTQ Victory Fund (@VictoryFund) June 10, 2020
- Ketchum is set to assume office on July 1st, saying in a statement to CNN “I am incredibly grateful to get the opportunity to represent my city.” Adding, “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”.
Ketchum is now the fourth elected LGBTQ official in West Virginia and becomes one of the now 27 elected transgender officials across the United States. “It’s still strange that it makes history, but I’m grateful to be a part of that,” Ketchum said.
