Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride delivers her victory speech to a room full of supporters at the Chase Center on the Riverfront on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Representative-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE) just made history as the first transgender member of Congress, an achievement that has been met with cruel backlash. Led by Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC), Republicans have imposed a House rule forcing McBride and all trans women to use men’s rooms while pushing a national “bathroom bill” that threatens the dignity and safety of every transgender American.
But what’s most disappointing is McBride’s near congenial acquiescence.
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Saying will “follow the rules” because she was not elected to “fight about bathrooms” is avoiding the argument. McBride’s response using generic talking points about “working for the American people” and bringing “down costs” is just deflection.
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Like the House Minority Leader, the Vice President and other leading Democrats, McBride rarely utters the word ‘transgender.’ Also unsaid is the fact that trangender people are 2.5 to 4 times more likely to experience violent attacks than gender conforming people, according to the Justice Department and the Williams Institute, and that “bathroom bills” target us for harassment, making it nearly impossible for us to work, attend school or simply live as full and equal citizens. Nor has McBride exposed Mace’s hypocrisy for calling herself, until a few weeks ago, a supporter of trans rights. Instead, McBride preaches “grace” and the abstract hope that Republicans will change.
While some pundits hail this refusal to engage as strategic, many trans people, including myself, see it as a symptom of a broader failure. For decades, Democrats have shrunk from fights on core issues, alienating voters who increasingly perceive them as weak and feckless. Everyone knows that Democrats support transgender rights, but if even McBride appears apologetic and evasive in defending those rights, how can voters – especially the blue-collar voters Democrats have been losing since the 1980s – trust Democrats to stand up for any issue or principle?
It’s not really Sarah’s fault. Since adolescence, she’s been molded by Democratic elites, including mentors Bo and Joe Biden. Her political DNA comes from staid insiders, so she sounds exactly like the Democrats who have ceded ground to Republicans for decades.
Contrast this with trans leaders like Danica Roem, a Virginia state senator, and Zooey Zephyr, a Montana assembly member. Both came to politics with few political connections and real-world careers outside of the bubble. Like McBride, they prioritize the broad needs of their constituents but unlike the Democratic Wunderkind from Delaware, they never back away from fighting for transgender rights. Zephyr’s impassioned opposition to Montana’s trans healthcare ban led to her censure, yet it also made her our champion and earned her the respect of allies and opponents alike.
Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968, provides an even more compelling profile of effective courage. Without establishment blessing or support, she fought for her principles unabashedly from day one. When the Dixiecrat leaders of the House used seniority rules to deny Black representatives meaningful committee assignments, Chisholm demanded better and won. Chisholm’s boldness never stopped her from achieving legislative victories, leading national debates or earning respect. It enabled those achievements and demonstrated that conviction and courage drive progress.
Democrats may not have the votes right now, but they do have the moral high ground on anti-trans bigotry – if they find the courage to take it. A full scale retreat bears nothing but surrender; effective rear guard actions, fought on principle, provide the only path to future victories on trans and all other issues.
Democrats like McBride should find their voice and rally not just trans Americans but all those who care for equality and justice. It’s not a policy problem but a conviction problem. A lack of strident commitment has undermined the trust of voters for decades. When the party changes course, when it adopts the kind of plainspoken resolve embodied by Roem, Zephyr, and Chisholm (not to mention Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders), only then will it regain that trust, win back defectors, and make positive change.
Stephanie Wade is a transgender woman from Seal Beach California. She served her country as a Marine Corps infantry officer and as a congressional aide from 2019-2021. She is Co-Chair of the Lavender Democrats of Orange County and an Equality of California Board Member. The opinions stated here are her own, though they reflect sentiments shared by many in the transgender community.
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