Demi Lovato brought Danica Roem, America’s first openly transgender state legislator, as her guest to the American Music Awards on Sunday, as part of the pop star’s message against bullying.
Lovato attended the AMAs to sing “Sorry Not Sorry,” a song directed to the people who bullied her in school. When she heard about Roem’s victory over Del. Robert Marshall, a longtime opponent of the LGBTQ community, in Virginia’s elections earlier this month, she was so inspired by Roem’s story that she asked her to attend the awards with her.
“My story with ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ is about bullying, and I wanted to have her in the audience with me tonight because I feel like we have been through some of the same things, and now we get to share this experience together,” Lovato told E! in an interview on the red carpet.
Roem took to Twitter to announce her attendance at the awards show, which she said was a “super last-minute request.”
“So I’m m on a plane for a super last-minute request to talk about inclusion & bullying prevention at the AMAs. I spent 16 months working to make our schools more inclusive, so I’m happy to take it up,” she tweeted, adding that she’d be back in Virginia in time for a school board meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning.
Despite some stops and stutters along the way, the county’s school board eventually approved the policy, which prevents discrimination against LGBTQ students, teachers, and other school district employees.
When asked about her coming inauguration as a member of the House of Delegates on January 10, Roem told E! she was overwhelmed by the support from Lovato and others.
“I’m also really grateful that Demi has spent her career advocating for people who need a voice when they feel voiceless,” Roem said, “and that she understands that no matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, or who you love, you should be welcomed and celebrated because of who you are, not despite it.”
Lovato was also asked about being named as one of People Magazine’s “25 Women Changing the World,” which she said was “amazing and incredible,” though she added that she thought Roem should be added to the list as well.
“I just want to be a good delegate,” Roem responded, getting in a plug for her signature campaign issue, adding, “I just want to fix Route 28, not gonna lie.”
On Monday, the Virginia Senate went into recess when Democrats who control the chamber walked out in solidarity with Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) after Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears misgendered Roem by referring to her with the honorific "sir."
The exchange began as Roem asked Earle-Sears, presiding over the Senate, about the number of votes required for a bill to pass under a particular rule.
"Yes, sir, that would be 32," Earle-Sears said, prompting Roem to put down her microphone and walk out of the chamber.
Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) called a recess, grinding business in the state's upper chamber to a halt.
President Joe Biden offered words of support during his State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7, telling transgender Americans -- many of whom feel increasingly under attack by efforts to restrict visible expressions of identity or gender-nonconformity -- "I have your back."
In a speech characterized by many pundits as "fiery," "energetic," "impassioned," and combative, Biden verbally parried with some Republican members of Congress who sought to heckle or "troll" him, especially on the issue of immigration and border security, as reported by CNN.
The president also denounced book-banning -- which conservatives have espoused, ostensibly in order to protect children from sexually-tinged or LGBTQ content -- as attempts to erase history.
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