Story highlights Gender is less important than heart, ideas, Roman says

She hopes to pass anti-discrimination legislation as a member of Congress

(CNN) Geraldine Roman doesn't necessarily get what all the fuss is about.

She is, in her words, "just another politician who happens to be transgender."

But even she will acknowledge the election of the first transgender woman to Congress in the Philippines is, at least, "technically historical."

"I never expected so much media hype, but I am beginning to understand why they call it a breakthrough, given the conservative stance of, well, the people and the influence of the Catholic church," she told CNN's Kristie Lu Stout on Tuesday.

Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls A street in suburban Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is covered in campaign posters. Polls opened nationwide on Monday, May 9, 2016. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Filipino voters check the voters' list as they queue up to cast their choice for the presidential elections in Davao City in southern Philippines on May 9, 2016. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Crowds gather in front of a polling station on May 9, 2016. Millions of voters are expected to troop to polling precincts all over the country to elect the successor to President Benigno Aquino III. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls People fill out ballots on Monday, May 9, 2016. The front-running presidential candidate is the foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Eighty-year-old Dioleta Esteban is assisted as she votes at a polling center in suburban San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Esteban shows the indelible ink on her finger after casting her vote. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Boys distribute election leaflets outside a polling precinct in Davao City on May 9, 2016. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Voters had to bear the stifling heat and long lines at some polling stations. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Presidential candidate Grace Poe votes at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, on May 9, 2016. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Presidential candidate and current Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay (right) inserts his ballot into the vote counting machine inside a polling center at the San Antonio National High School in Makati, Philippines on May 9, 2016. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls Workers check computers at the command center of the church-backed election watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in Manila, Philippines on the eve of election day, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls An election worker carries official ballots as they are distributed to polling centers in the suburban Quezon City, north of Manila on May 8, 2016. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Philippine voters head to the polls People search for their names and their polling precincts on May 8, 2016. Hide Caption 13 of 13

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