Sarah McBride is a Democratic activist and politician from Delaware who just became the nation’s first state senator who publicly identifies as transgender. The decision was overwhelming, with McBride winning approximately 73 percent of the vote, according to the unofficial results from the Delaware Department of Elections.
McBride grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, to David and Sally McBride. Her political career isn’t something new, McBride was elected student body president at American University. Sarah gained an international media presence when she came out as a transgender woman in the university’s newspaper. Her coming out story was even featured on The Huffington Post and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. A year later, she interned at The White House under the Obama administration, being the first openly transgender woman to work there. She worked in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, and helped advocate for LBGTQ+ issues. As well as working on LGBTQ+ issues, since 2013, Sarah has worked with several other leaders to expand Medicaid health care in Delaware.
As a former spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, Sarah has dedicated her time to social issues and programs. These include passing Delaware’s gender identity non-discrimination act, increasing the minimum wage, and reforming the criminal justice system. In these roles, she’s worked with politicians like former Governor Jack Markell, Attorney General Beau Biden and the president of the Human Rights Campaign, Alphonso David.
After Sarah’s victory, David stated, “She gives a voice to the marginalized as a representative and an advocate… This victory, the first of what I expect to be many in her career, shows that any person can achieve their dream, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.” Another person who has followed McBride’s career is Democratic presidential nominee and now president-elect Joe Biden. She had volunteered for Beau Biden’s campaign for attorney general and went on to be the first openly trans speaker at a political convention in 2016. Biden even had his own spot in McBride’s memoir Tomorrow Will Be Different, stating, “In doing this work, I return the most important lessons my father taught me and my children, the same principle that animates courageous advocates like Sarah McBride: that all people are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”
In a recent tweet, Sarah stated, “I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too.” Among Sarah is Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat who was elected as the first openly gay Black member of Congress. After his victory against Republican candidate Patrick Delices, Torres stated, “We are going to have a United States Congress that is every bit as diverse and dynamic as America itself.” Torres goes on to say, “[60] percent of the Democratic conference in the House of Representatives is women, people of color, and LGBTQ. I am proud that [I] am going to contribute to the diversity of the world’s greatest legislature, the United States Congress.” Torres will be working alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressly and Rashia Tlaib—also known as the “Squad”—who was also reelected in this election.
In the midst of all the election results, on the night of her victory, Sarah McBride reminded viewers that “the real work begins tomorrow.”
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Youtube and Pinterest!