This Tuesday, the United States Congress made history by adding the first transgender person to occupy one of its seats. It is the Democrat Sarah McBride who defeated Republican candidate John Whalen III in the House of Representatives elections in the state of Delaware.
Facing the possible future of a Congress with a conservative majority in both chambers, McBride's election is good news for the Democratic Party and for organizations advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the US. For example, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest organization supporting this community, which had endorsed McBride's candidacy, has applauded her victory: "We are so proud, Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride! Your story will help LGBTQ+ youth dream bigger, reach higher, and change the world," the organization stated.
Who is Sarah McBride, the first transgender congresswoman?
Born in Wilmington, Sarah McBride is a 34-year-old young politician and LGBT+ activist, who had already made history in 2020 by becoming the first openly transgender person to hold a seat in the Delaware State Senate.
A close ally of President Joe Biden, McBride advised the president in shaping his vision on LGBTQ+ issues. Her close relationship with Biden began in 2006 when she started collaborating on the campaign for the late president's son, Beau Biden, who was a strong advocate for legislation protecting transgender individuals in 2013, which McBride defended in Delaware.
The congresswoman-elect first captured the spotlight in 2012 when, as a senior student at American University, she announced that she was transgender in an opinion article in the university newspaper. That same year, she met her husband, Andrew Cray, at an LGBTQ+ pride event at the White House. Cray, a transgender man and also an activist for the rights of the community, passed away from cancer in 2014 just two days after their wedding.
In 2018, McBride published her memoir, 'Tomorrow will be different', in which she recounts her journey as an activist for transgender rights and Biden himself wrote the foreword.
In a statement posted on their social media, McBride addressed their victory during a moment of tension and uncertainty in American politics: “Thank you, Delaware! Thanks to your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress. Delaware has sent a loud and clear message: we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom, ensures paid leave and affordable childcare for all our families, ensures that housing and healthcare are available to everyone, and that this is a democracy big enough for all.”