Sarah McBride, a state senator from Delaware, would prefer to talk about the difficulties that keep her companions awake at night. She knows she may make history this fall if she is elected as the first openly transgender member of Congress. Her head is on access to affordable wellness treatment, increasing the minimum wage, gun-safety measures, and protecting biological right. She has now led the energy to abolish the “LGBTQ+ anxiety” protection in Delaware in her four years as a lawmaker and sponsored a paid family and clinical leave bill that was the state’s largest social safety net expansion in decades. Not bad for someone only 33, though! However, McBride is aware that a victory would have a significant impact in the face of the nation’s sweeping anti-LGBT+ legislation, and that being effective in Congress would open doors for others to follow.
“I’m not running to make history, I’m running to make a difference,” she tells me. That’s how we can make sure that more and more people from a variety of backgrounds can win and serve as well. McBride discussed her goals on Capitol Hill, the link between anti-trans policies and the demise of other rights, her Republican colleagues’ allies, and more.
What is the first issue you would like to address if you were elected?
I’m hoping to address Congress to advance all of the issues that I’ve been working on at the state level that call for federal assistance and investment. That means expanding our care system and making sure no one in our society has to choose between their job and their family, or their health and their money. That means affordable child care for every family. It also means paid family and medical leave for each employee. It implies that every patient will receive universal health care. Those will be my priorities.
We are in a situation where transgender rights, specifically LGBTQ+ rights, have been attacked all over the nation. What’s it like to serve as an elected official in a situation like this?
The attacks hurt. It hurts to see how many anti-equality politicians target trans young people as well as trans people in general. If we’re not at the table, then we’re on the menu. Throughout my time working as a federal advocate, I have witnessed the power of proximity. When we are present, policies and priorities change. We make the work of anti-equality politicians more and harder. Trans people are a beautiful component of our society because we share the same hopes and dreams that everyone else does. I think representation is crucial, but even more so that we can demonstrate that trans people can effectively represent their constituents and perform their jobs just like everyone else.
Obviously the political environment in Delaware is very different than, say, Oklahoma, where we just saw the case of Nex Benedict. What are the issues that the trans community in your state, particularly the young people and their families, are having?
Delaware is the only state in the nation where an anti-trans bill hasn’t been introduced so far. That has required a lot of effort, and it may change. However, the fact that we were able to halt any transgender legislation this session is a true testament to the beliefs of my colleagues and the people I’ve been able to support. Families of transgender people in Delaware are concerned about a toxic political climate that has stoked hatred and perpetuated discrimination and violence. They fear anti-equality politicians using the means of power to carry out their agendas on a national scale. No one of us will be protected from a regressive agenda that seeks to not only impose the Alabama and Texas agenda on reproductive freedom, but also further undermine the right to vote at the federal level. Whether you live in a red state or a blue state, none of us will be safe from it. It only reinforces the need for us to elect officials with courage, compassion, and the understanding that governing is the art of addition. To continue opening hearts and changing minds, we must have conversations about our political disagreements.
You’ve been able to do that in the State Senate. For example, last summer you led this effort to repeal the state’s “LGBTQ+ panic” defense. Your Republican colleagues also co-sponsored that measure. How would you continue to bridge that tense with your colleagues in Congress, which is undoubtedly more divided than ever?
Republicans in Congress are unwaveringly opposed to working with Democrats. However, some Republicans are still willing to meet and work with us. I have introduced and passed numerous bills in the Delaware State Senate, with the exception of one that received bipartisan support. What I have observed is that when we allow ourselves to be fully human, it can open the most dimly conceived of hearts and minds. And so, I’ll continue to find opportunities to work with Republicans as a member of Congress on issues ranging from affordable health care to early childhood education. We can gradually and surely soften the most ardent opponents and gain unlikely allies in those occasions and moments when you’re collaborating on issues that aren’t necessarily related to LGBTQ+ rights.
And look, we might not win over every person. We won’t have the Republican members of Congress leading the Pride parade tomorrow, of course. Our presence should at least make their job harder, even if they don’t vote for us, even if they don’t support our rights and dignity. It becomes much easier to look us in the eye and attack our neighborhood while we are there. When no one like me is in that chamber, it becomes much more difficult to call us names and stoke the fears that they can do it so easily and so quickly.
You have a very long relationship with the Biden family. Some people give you credit for helping the president shape his agenda on transgender rights. If you are both elected, what LGBTQ+ policies would you like him to implement or collaborate with him on?
I would never claim credit for this president’s big heart. That’s who he is. Numerous members of the LGBTQ+ community who have lived in his country can attest that this president has a natural love for equality. I look forward to working with him to pass the policies that he’s been fighting for throughout his administration, such as the Equality Act, so that people are unquestionably protected from discrimination throughout daily life under federal law.
You’ve talked about the importance of representation. You were the first openly transgender person to hold a position as a state senator, speak at the DNC, and work in the White House. If you are elected, you will become the first transgender member of Congress. What do you think about removing these restrictions?
My job is to guarantee that while I may be the first, I’m not the last. Being first is a responsibility, and I don’t take it lightly. I’m also aware that I have had the opportunity to influence change, to influence my state, and to influence my country in ways that didn’t seem possible when I was a young person. That understanding only serves to strengthen my resolve to fulfill those responsibilities and to remove any obstacles that prevent other trans people from fully and equally expressing their views in our democracy. Diversity in government is critical. Every trans young person in this country has the right to know that our democracy is large enough for them.
This interview has been edited and condensed to increase length and clarity.
