Sarah McBride makes history as first openly transgender state senator
By Shaun Stacy
Sarah McBride made history Tuesday evening, becoming the first openly person of trans experience elected to the Senate for the state of Delaware.
The national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign and LGBTQ rights activist, Sarah McBride, made history election night by becoming the first openly transgender state senator in U.S. history.
McBride defeated Republican Steve Washington and will replace Sen. Harris McDowell, who is retiring at the end of his current term.
As a state senator, she will also be the highest-ranking openly transgender official and first elected official in Delaware’s history. Several Hollywood celebrities, including Debra Messing, Colton Haynes, Amy Schumer, and Nicole Maines took to social media to praise McBride’s victory.
McBride took to Twitter in celebration and to thank her supporters.
We did it. We won the general election.
— Sen. Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 4, 2020
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
This is extremely welcome news, especially coming off of a four-year presidential administration that went out of its way to strip trans individuals of the same rights as others.
The Trump administration threatened trans-inclusive protections in public schools, attempted to remove LGBTQ protections in health care, and proposed allowing homeless shelters to turn away transgender individuals. This also coincides with a year that marks the highest murder rate of trans people committed in history, with black transwomen seemingly being targeted the most.
McBride was joined by over 1,000 other openly LGBTQ candidates, collectively being referred to as a “rainbow wave,” the highest number ever recorded in America’s voting history. Historic LGBTQ victories occurred in several other U. S. states, including Hawaii, South Dakota, Tennessee, Kansas, Ohio, Vermont, Missouri, Rhode Island, California, Colorado, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.
This also marks an upward trend of social acceptance of LGBTQ people, with over 70% of Americans saying transgender people should be protected from discrimination, and a similar percentage supporting same-sex marriage.
Additionally, advocating for LGBTQ rights has been a fairly large part of presidential candidate Joe Biden’s platform. During a town hall event in October, Biden vowed to protect LGBTQ rights by serving as a partner in the battle for equality. Fingers crossed he gets to actually deliver on his promise.
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Are you happy to see McBride make history as the U.S.’s first openly transgender state senator? Let us know in the comments section below.