Due to Sarah McBride’s win, there has been a wake in transgender rights. Her recent win resulted in her becoming the nation’s first-ever transgender state senator.
“I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too," McBride tweeted on November 3rd.
Sarah McBride has always been heavily involved in social justice issues. She was a former spokesperson for the LGBTQ advocacy group, Human Rights Campaign and in 2013 she heavily fought for the gender identity non-discrimination act which was signed into law in Delaware. In college, she had become the first trans woman to ever intern in the White House when Barack Obama was president.
It’s clear McBride has worked endlessly in politics in order to achieve bigger things for the LBGTQ community. She will continue to do so when she is officially Delaware's state senator in January 2021.
Her victory demonstrates that anyone no matter their sexual orientation and gender identity can achieve their dreams. When asking a UP student about their thoughts on McBride’s victory Wendy Baresi a senior stated, “I feel very happy about it! It makes me glad that our world is slowly progressing towards better things - more accepting things.” Though there will always be some degree of backlash to a newly elected leader especially in McBride’s case.
When asking a UP staff member what pros and cons they can see from this new win, Mr.Magdaleno said, “Any new face in history will always be met with some degree of backlash, but in Senator McBride’s case, this was someone who won office in an elected position. People are showing more and more that elected leaders can come from diverse gender backgrounds. We need policymakers who understand and can speak to the experiences of those often not give a platform to enact change. Her victory is truly a sign of progress, and for many, hope.” Her victory demonstrates hope to the LGBTQ community into having a brighter future.
2020 has proven to be a difficult year for the transgender community but McBride’s victory has brought hope and inspiration to many. Her inclusion in the senate is a sign for people to see that transgender people are here and are to be respected. Her victory will have more people following in her footsteps. It took years to have more representation seen in government but no step is too small.
