In her first year as an MP, Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride says she tried to do something that would be nearly impossible in America. politics: Lowering the temperature of a political environment built to reward anger. as one of the most prominent transgender As the first transgender member of the nation and the U.S. House of Representatives (and Congress as a whole), McBride became a test case for a political strategy based on persuasion, containment, and amplification rather than confrontation.
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“I entered Congress at an incredibly dangerous time for this country,” she said. defender In a recent interview. “The kind of cultural momentum that was felt in the 2010s is being replaced by cruelty and cultural regression that I’m not sure we’ve seen since the 1800s.”
Related: Sarah McBride talks about her darkest day in Congress (Exclusive)
Her tenure thus far has been shaped by personal and political whiplash. Her historic election and uplift in direction was almost immediately followed by a wave of anti-trans toilet-related stunts and attacks from far-right MPs seeking to provoke a viral confrontation. She now describes the episode as one of the deepest lows of her life, comparable to the grief she experienced after her husband’s death. But she also explains that it has clarified her approach.
McBride refused to take the bait. “It was definitely a success,” she said, noting that attacks diminished after it became clear that she would not provide the performative showdown that her critics had hoped for.
Even more important, she says, is the image. “This country needs a very clear visual contrast between the inhumanity of anti-equality politicians and our literal humanity.”
Why doesn’t she applaud in return, even though there are people who want her to?
Even if her restraint calmed her opponents, it enraged some of her supporters, especially some transgender people who felt she wasn’t fighting hard enough in the face of humiliation. McBride doesn’t pretend otherwise.
She said she understands why some transgender people want to see her “visually fight back,” in her words, and why refusing to fight that fight can feel unsatisfying. She speaks candidly about her desire for catharsis, her desire to watch people engage in a war of words with those who attack her.
Related: Sarah McBride explains why Democrats’ ‘big tent is bisexual’
“I know that this is not deeply comforting to some in my community who feel vicariously through the humiliation that I have suffered,” she said.
Without a sharp rebuttal, she says, your strategy can look passive.
“I know that in that moment you may feel unfulfilled and even helpless, and that’s unfortunate,” she added. “But leadership requires doing things that are not easy.”
Ms. McBride has been transparent about the tension at heart, the gap between what is emotionally satisfying and what she believes will build lasting public support.
“Sometimes I get applause,” she says. “Sometimes it takes strength and discipline to not do that.”
She also understands the feelings of critics who question whether she is “properly” transgender enough in Congress. McBride said she hears the criticism, but there are other ways to make change.
McBride similarly makes it clear that his strategy of private conversation, public calm, and persuasion over spectacle was a deliberate choice.
In 2023, as a state senator in Delaware, McBride successfully led Republicans to join Democrats in passing a law that would make the state the 17th to reject gay and transgender panic advocacy.
A bigger tent, even if it’s not as comfortable.
McBride’s broader argument is one she has been making for several months. Democratic Party We cannot win lasting protections for LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender people, unless we expand our coalition to include voters who feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar with transgender identity.
Related: ‘Betrayal’: Transgender people react to Sarah McBride’s compliance with bathroom ban
she said defender Democrats say they often struggle because they feel some voters don’t like the party. “Does this candidate like me?” he argued. If Democrats couldn’t answer “yes,” “we wouldn’t even get to the second question.”
He reiterated this point at Crooked Con earlier this month, describing the party’s “big tent” as “bisexual and both ways.” This means Democrats must welcome people from all directions, not just those who already agree with them.
McBride in June said new york times Columnist Ezra Klein said he believes the transgender rights movement may be ahead of the curve. “I think this is, in some ways, an accurate reflection of the over-handplay, that we as a coalition moved to trans 201, trans 301 when people were still in the trans 101 stage,” she said. “I think some of the cultural practices and norms that started to develop around the inclusion of transgender people were probably premature for a lot of people. We became absolutists, not just in transgender rights, but throughout the progressive movement, and forgot that in a democracy, we have to address and really engage the public’s place.”
In her interview, defendershe drew a clear line between anti-trans politicians and voters with complex and sometimes contradictory views. Treating these voters as indistinguishable from the far right is politically disastrous and morally short-sighted, she said.
“When you lump people who are still on the path with far-right politicians, you end up pushing voters towards right-wing politicians. I’ve never been able to convince anyone by starting a conversation with, ‘You’re a bigot and all your concerns are ridiculous,'” she said.
pressure politics
On Tuesday, 213 House Democrats, including the entire party leadership, sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson. louisiana republican partycalled for intervention to stop the rise in anti-transgender rhetoric on the House floor and in committee hearings. The signatories say Republican lawmakers have repeatedly used slurs about transgender Americans and promoted conspiracy theory claims during formal proceedings, in violation of House rules.
Related: Sarah McBride wins Delaware House seat, becoming first transgender lawmaker
The scale of the response is one of the broadest Democratic coalitions assembled this Congress, and could signal a shift in power relations in the fight over transgender rights. Regarding McBride’s strategy, the letter emphasizes her beliefs. It is now important not only to respond to individual attacks, but also to change the structural environment in which these attacks occur.
It also brings her work into sharper relief. The public show of unity among Democrats (almost all parties in the House) complements the quieter, persuasion-based work McBride is doing with voters. While the letter urges civility, Mr. McBride’s on-the-ground campaign requires him to engage voters whose fears are fueled by Republicans.
“Transgender people deserve government officials who lift them up, not attack them simply because of who they are,” the letter says.
Personal risk and ground-level support
As visibility increases, so does vulnerability. McBride said she feared for her safety.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned,” she said, but ultimately decided that by stepping back, she would be ceding the political arena to those who want transgender silence.
“If they succeed in threatening us from public life, it’s a surefire way to not only push us into the shadows, but to see politics that are perhaps unstoppably cruel to us,” she said.
Related: Sarah McBride slams Republicans for blocking trans military amendment in defense bill
Still, she’s buoyed by the welcome she receives throughout Delaware, especially at the popular Wawa convenience store, where she says she receives messages of support each time she visits. She says there’s a huge disconnect between online criticism and real-world solidarity.
“When you’re physically together with other LGBTQ people, the proportions of people are fundamentally different than when you open BlueSky online.”
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
