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.

As Democrats wield their newfound political power, transgender Texans say they hope to see efforts to roll back some of the GOP-led crackdowns on things like bathroom use and gender designations on identification documents.

But if Democrats want to improve the lives of transgender Texans, they should start by addressing issues affecting all Texans, Espeut said.

“Trans issues,” she said, are often the same as for any other Texan — housing, healthcare and public safety.

“Of course, we want to make sure that we undo a lot of the harm, but I think really [by] centering social issues that impact all Texans, everyone will be uplifted,” Espeut said.

Economic issues were at the forefront of 26-year-old Alma Zamora’s concerns, especially high housing costs and affordability. Knowing only a GOP-controlled Texas, the Austin resident and Rio Grande Valley native said the election brought hope for living comfortably — not just as a transgender person, but also as someone in search of financial security.

“I never thought I’d ever be able to own a home in Austin,” Zamora said. “I’ve lived here for about eight years now, and I think with this new government, we have an option. I can start thinking ahead. I can think to the future.”

Zamora joined more than 100 others who gathered near the state Capitol for an impromptu celebration of cheering, dancing and waving at honking drivers shortly after Sen.-elect James Talarico and Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa won their races — a result Zamora described as “incredible.”

With Democrats about to have a stronger voice in Texas politics, a new approach to advocacy for LGBTQ+ Texans is required, said Andrea Segovia, deputy director for the Transgender Education Network of Texas.

“A lot of times our priorities are more on a defensive view than an offensive view, of ‘let’s hold the line, let’s not make things worse,’” Segovia said. “But I was talking to our team [after the election] of just, this is our moment.”

GOP messaging during the midterm elections was sharply focused on transgender people, particularly youths, with ads and conservative pundits frequently attacking Talarico for comments made in opposition to bills restricting gender-affirming care for minors.

In total, Republicans spent nearly $144 million in Texas on midterm campaign ads that described Democrats as unfit for office and out of step with Texas based on their support for transgender people or opposition to GOP-led restrictions on trans Texans, according to data from AdImpact.

Espeut believes the ads fell short because the message had become stale and ignored voters’ more pressing financial concerns.

“When you focus on this anti-trans rhetoric, it doesn’t land because everyone is going through or is impacted by the current state of the economy, and people are just not interested in uplifting this hate,” Espeut said.

Investing in attack ads about transgender people also hurt Republican candidates by making them seem out of touch with more pressing affordability issues, Segovia said.

“All of this money is going towards this, and people can’t afford a loaf of bread,” Segovia said.

Beyond cost-of-living issues, transgender advocates also want Democrats to address Republican-led changes made in previous legislative sessions, including limits on gender-affirming care, bans on pride public school groups and restrictions on gender identity markers on public documents.

“I think that we should push our champions to be champions,” Segovia said. “We gave them this opportunity as voters to be in these high positions of power, and now we have to make sure that they deliver on promises and beliefs that they had.”

As bill filing opened this week for the 2027 session, Democratic lawmakers submitted legislation that would undo Texas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors, increase penalties for crimes influenced by a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and establish prohibitions on discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.

Going into the legislative session, Espeut said she and her organization are focused on advocating for sustainable practices that will last long-term and support the widest possible coalition of communities.

“There is so much that needs to be undone and changed, and that hopefully will happen in time,” Espeut said. “But I really think that the biggest thing is just to make sure that we are still doing things collectively, and with us moving forward that we aren’t forgetting any part of the community, trans Texans or anybody.”