The first thing to know about Danica Roem is that she gets asked about the similarities between heavy metal music and local politics a lot. "That question is actually surprisingly common," says the Virginia state delegate, who made national headlines in 2017 after defeating a long-serving Republican in her home district and becoming the first openly transgender politician to be elected to and seated in a U.S. state legislature. And yet the insights that Roem has applied to politics from her headbanging days and nights as the vocalist of a thrash-metal band are no less surprising. "What unites the two is that authenticity matters," she says. "In metal, no one is going to buy your album if it doesn't come from the heart. The same attitude prevails in politics-no one is going to show up for you or support your message [if it isn't authentic]." Roem has had a prolific five years as a legislator: Thirty-two of her sponsored bills have been signed into law-everything from expanding insurance and school-meal access to preventing child welfare fraud-and she decisively won reelection in 2019 and 2021. (She also recently announced a bid for Virginia's state Senate and wrote a memoir, Burn the Page, that came out in April.) She explains how to get things done in a political climate known more for paralysis than productivity.
DON'T FEED THE TROLLS
This story is from the November 2022 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2022 edition of Fast Company.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE NEW RULES OF BUSINESS TRAVEL
In the era of hybrid teams, everyone is a road warrior-not just sales teams and C-suite execs. It's part of why business travel spending is expected to finally reach, and perhaps surpass, pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, according to Deloitte. But, as with everything, work trips are not what they were in 2019. From airlines to banks, companies are finding new ways to make business travel easier-and even a little fun.
INTELLIGENT IMPACT
BUSINESS LUMINARIES SHARE HOW AI CAN INTERSECT WITH SOCIAL MISSION.
REDDIT'S REVENGE
IN AN ERA OF AI UPHEAVAL. THE CACOPHONOUS SOCIAL HUB EMERGES AS THE HUMAN-DRIVEN INTERNET'S LAST GREAT HOPE.
SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE
In the Ozempic era, Weight-Watchers is remaking itself to be something for everyone meal-plan program and a tele-health prescription service. But have consumers already lost their appetite?
10/10 - THE 10 MOST INNOVATIVE PEOPLE OF THE LAST 10 YEARS
In honor of Fast Company's 10th Innovation Festival in September, we identified 10 industrious leaders whose groundbreaking efforts defined the past decade in business. We spoke to them about their extraordinary achievements in tech, medicine, entertainment, and more. And we explored how the impact of their work has withstood passing fads, various presidential administrations, a pandemic, and many, many quarterly reports.
The Mysterious Reappearance of the Reggie Bar
How a beloved 1970s candy got called back up to the major leagues.
Gabriella Khalil
Gabriella Khalil, creative director, answers our career questionnaire.
The Fast and the Furious
High prices at McDonald's, Taco Bell, and other chains are sparking consumer revolt.
Lost in Truncation
Lost in Truncation Generative AI was supposed to unleash our creativity. Instead, it became our cultural trash compactor. Welcome to the age of summarization.
Campus Radicals
Welcome to UATX, Austin's new well-funded and controversial anti-woke university.
