Meet America's (Shockingly Small) Pool of Trans Elected Officials

Victoria Kolakowski, superior court judge
She broke barriers when elected as America's first openly transgender superior court judge in November 2010; Kolakowski won election to Alameda County, Calif., Superior Court, besting her opponent by 10,000 votes. Married to a woman, Kolakowski transitioned in the 1980s, all while serving as a successful attorney for more than two decades. It hasn't always been easy for the overachiever; she battled the Louisiana State Bar Association after the group tried unsuccessfully to prevent her from taking the bar exam because of her transition.