As election night results rolled in, Joelle Espeut felt "unbridled joy" as Democrats surged to victory across Texas.

Espeut, a transgender woman and advocacy director for the Normal Anomaly Initiative, understood the election represented a pivotal transformation on two fronts: a reprieve from legislation aimed at restricting LGBTQ+ Texans, and a sign that voters were finally "tired of the hate." "It's been pretty grim in Texas the last several years," she said.

"It's been this ongoing anti-trans and anti-LGBT rhetoric. I think what Tuesday brought was hope that things can change after several years of literally fighting for our lives." Transgender and other LGBTQ+ Texans say they felt singled out by Republican leaders and a steady stream of campaign ads that portrayed them as abnormal and dangerous.