--- title: Danica Roem: Internet Reacts to First Transgender Official description: A man's question for Christian parents about the first transgender elected official has gone viral because it backfired. canonical: https://time.com/5015153/danica-roem-reaction/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-08T16:18:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:27:42.344Z og:title: Christians Took to Twitter to Rebuke This Man's Tweet About a Transgender Politician og:description: They didn't respond the way he thought they would. og:url: https://time.com/5015153/danica-roem-reaction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8dbb450cb698f40/6988e4f922fb858410e23949/gettyimages-857509430.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4395 og:image:height: 2472 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-GAY-HOMOSEXUALITY-MUSIC-GENDER-PARTIES og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Christians Took to Twitter to Rebuke This Man's Tweet About a Transgender Politician twitter:description: They didn't respond the way he thought they would. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte8dbb450cb698f40/6988e4f922fb858410e23949/gettyimages-857509430.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Christians Took to Twitter to Rebuke This Man's Tweet About a Transgender Politician > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=17cc6b02-34d4-4edf-8dc6-753e8f62c552&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Danica Roem Makes History as the First Transgender State Lawmaker [Watch (HLS stream): Danica Roem Makes History as the First Transgender State Lawmaker](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ubdmC9R2.m3u8) (1:00)  _Published 2017-11-08. A transgender woman unseated one of Virginia’s longest serving and most socially conservative lawmakers Tuesday and is set to make history as the first openly transgender person elected and seated in a state legislature._ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Nov 8, 2017 4:18 PM UTC A transgender woman unseated one of Virginia’s longest serving and most socially conservative lawmakers Tuesday and is set to make history as the first openly transgender person elected and seated in a state legislature. by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Nov 8, 2017 4:18 PM UTC One man’s question for Christians about a [transgender](http://time.com/donald-trump-president-transgender-troops/) politician has quickly backfired. After Democrat Danica Roem became Virginia’s first [openly transgender elected official](http://time.com/4846082/transgender-political-candidates/), defeating incumbent Del. Robert G. Marshall on Tuesday, one Nashville man took to Twitter with a question. Andrew T. Walker, the director for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, appeared to voice concern about how Christian parents would prepare their children for the [history-making news](http://time.com/5014604/danica-roem-transgender-virginia/). “Christian parents, the nation’s first transgender elected official enters into American history tonight. What are you doing to prepare your children for this new world?” he asked in a tweet Tuesday night. > [](https://twitter.com/andrewtwalk/status/928079632464785408) Christians parents and non-parents, people of the cloth, priests, rabbis and plenty of believers had answers. One theme stood out: resounding love for everyone. Walker’s tweet quickly spread on the wings of critics blasting him for his question, as many of the responses invoked scripture. His original tweet has garnered nearly 6,000 responses and 289 retweets as of Wednesday. “We’re celebrating, one Christian parent shared, continuing, “We’re preparing our son to embrace difference, not fear or discriminate against it.” Another user, turned to Bob Dylan’s iconic 1964 song “The Times They Are A-Changin'” that explored progress of the times. See below for a sampling of the many responses. > [](https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/928236696524742658) > [](https://twitter.com/rachelheldevans/status/928082698312257540) > [](https://twitter.com/m%5Ftisserand/status/928100718875172864) > [](https://twitter.com/MavenOfMayhem/status/928236652778086400) > [](https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/928084728753696768) > [](https://twitter.com/EdenSarbanes/status/928113808823980033) > [](https://twitter.com/charles%5Fgaba/status/928090559323037697) > [](https://twitter.com/Nelba%5FMG/status/928203695271088129) > [](https://twitter.com/destroyed4com4t/status/928091501032177664) > [](https://twitter.com/soledadobrien/status/928207046318620672) > [](https://twitter.com/RavMABAY/status/928101808001699840) > [](https://twitter.com/GlennonDoyle/status/928262427900334080) > [](https://twitter.com/roblee4/status/928257436271759360) > [](https://twitter.com/NatePyle79/status/928089499082657792) > [](https://twitter.com/scottEweinberg/status/928179985055191040) > [](https://twitter.com/Lexialex/status/928245568807223296) ## Transcript [00:00] Hello my name is Danica Roem, I'm the Democratic [00:02] nominee for the 13th district of the Virginia house delegate. 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