History was made yesterday as ILGA’s alternate co-secretary general Tamara Adrián became the first openly trans person elected to the National Assembly in her country, Venezuela.

A lawyer and university professor, Tamara was a candidate of the Voluntad Popular party, and has been elected to represent the country’s capital district.

Gracias Caracas con tu voto hacemos historia. Si se pudo! pic.twitter.com/Nz6gl7zXif

— TamaraAdrian (@TamaraAdrian) December 7, 2015

Helen Kennedy and Ruth Baldacchino, co-secretaries general at ILGA, commented: “Tamara's election as the first openly trans person to the Venezuelan National Assembly is great news to the country, the region but also to all trans people around the world. LGBTIQ people are still excluded and discriminated at many levels, and political representation provides a space for more visibility.

Elected politicians like Tamara serve as role models to many beyond their national contexts and such news will hopefully motivate more LGBTIQ people to run for office in other countries."