Danica Roem did opposition research on herself. It's one way she reclaimed her story

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/27/ [login to see] /danica-roem-book-burn-the-page
When Danica Roem was sworn in after defeating a Republican who had served in Virginia's House of Delegates for a quarter of a century, she became the first openly transgender state legislator in the United States.

"You don't get too many transgender, metal head, reporter, yogini, stepmom vegetarians running for office," she recently told NPR. Roem, a former journalist who also fronted a metal band, was elected in 2017 and reelected in November to a third term.

She said she feels like her story is relatable.

"I like to think that for all the eccentricities I have and even the different worlds of identities, I think that one thing that's very common on this is I do know what it means to have to work. I do know what it means to make ends meet and to struggle financially," she says.

In her new memoir, Burn the Page, Roem tackles the kinds of personal stories that most politicians would seek to bury as deep as possible. NPR's Juana Summers spoke with Roem about her book — and why she put herself out there.