In June, Equality PAC, the campaign arm of the Congressional Equality Caucus, gathered in Washington, D.C., for its annual gala.
That night was particularly special and “intense” for Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, she recalled, because her main Democratic primary challenger had withdrawn from the race for Delaware’s at-large House seat earlier that day. That meant McBride was on the verge of making history: If she wins the solidly blue seat in November — which she likely will — she will become the first openly transgender member of Congress.
“We are expanding LGBTQ representation to an extent that would have been unthinkable for most of our nation’s history. We are on the verge of electing the first trans member of Congress, Sarah McBride,” Equality PAC co-Chair Rep. Ritchie Torres said onstage, pointing to McBride as the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
But looming in the background of the applause is an unprecedented number of anti-trans bills bubbling up in Republican-led states and a first-of-its-kind Supreme Court case, where the justices will decide whether bans on gender-affirming care for trans youth are constitutional. It’s not a secret that many Republicans on the Hill are hostile toward trans people, and it’s an open question as to how McBride will be welcomed when she arrives there.
“There’s no question that this moment, frankly like so much of American history, is a dual story of progress and pain,” McBride told NOTUS. “The current spate of attacks that we are seeing right now in states across this county on LGBTQ equality, including on trans people’s basic access to health care, is a response to how far we’ve come.”
Republicans in Congress have introduced legislation that mirrors many of the state bills — restricting gender-affirming care for both adults and minors, prohibiting teachers from referring to students with their preferred pronouns and banning trans people from serving in the military. Some in the GOP have been more pointed: Rep. Lauren Boebert repeatedly misgendered a trans Army official on the House floor last year, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene went on X to attack the trans daughter of her then colleague, Democrat Marie Newman, saying Newman’s child “does NOT belong in my daughters’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams.” Greene also hung a sign outside of her office — which is still there — that states, “There are TWO genders: Male & Female. Trust The Science,” in response to a trans flag Newman had put up by her office across the hall.
McBride, who became state senator in 2021, said she is well aware of how her new colleagues might feel about her. Since the start of her legislative career, she said she “was always mindful” that she’d be working with lawmakers who not only disagree with her but who “voted against my own rights.”
Representatives in the House Equality Caucus have been trying to prepare themselves — and other members — for McBride’s arrival.
“We within the Equality Caucus have been very, how shall we say, aware, concerned, that as exciting as a moment this is — which it is, it’s incredibly exciting to have this representation — we know full well that she is going to be a lightning rod and a target,” Rep. Becca Balint, the caucus’ co-chair, told NOTUS. “We know … all of the horrible things that [Republicans] have said about trans Americans. … We fully expect that to continue.”
Balint said she has “no faith in leadership on the Republican side” to make plans to welcome McBride into the chamber, including ensuring that House Republicans treat her with respect. The caucus chairs have instead started meeting to discuss a game plan.
Republican House leadership is “not going to be kind. They’re not going to be concerned about her, her health and her safety. And so, I want to really think strategically about how do we go directly to committee chairs and ranking members and say, ‘No, this cannot stand,’” Balint said. She added that when it “was clear that she was going to run,” the caucus started having meetings with Democrats to talk about trans issues “in a way that is comfortable for members who, you know, may not feel like they know a trans person.” Speaker Mike Johnson’s office did not respond to NOTUS’ requests for comment.
But it’s not just about having individual members treat her with respect. House leadership in previous years has increased security for members who are at risk, such as when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested that the House sergeant at arms step up Rep. Ilhan Omar’s security in 2019 following an increased number of death threats.
McBride, though, doesn’t seem afraid of any risks — she’s used to it. She told NOTUS that when she announced she was running for the House seat in 2023, “we had to increase security in the state capitol because of the risks that come along with a … competitive trans candidate announcing their candidacy for federal office.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has acknowledged that McBride’s security will need to be addressed if she wins her election in November, according to a source familiar with the matter. Jeffries, however, is deferential to the House Administration Committee, which handles congressional security, the source said. A spokesperson for the committee’s chair, Rep. Bryan Steil, did not return a request for comment.
Jamitress Bowden, communications director for Democrats on the House Administration Committee, would not speak specifically about McBride but told NOTUS that ranking member Rep. Joe Morelle “is always thinking about the safety and security of his colleagues and securing the Capitol grounds. It’s a shame that some lawmakers’ hate and bigotry threaten the safety of their colleagues.”
After her incident with Greene, Newman said then-Speaker Pelosi called to make sure she was OK, but that Greene was “unfortunately” not held responsible for her antagonizing X post.
Democratic leadership must “grow a spine, stand up to Republicans and don’t leave a member out there dangling that may be vulnerable,” Newman told NOTUS. Greene’s office did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment.
Some Democrats believe McBride’s presence and reputation for being a dealmaker with people of all political stripes will blunt Republican attacks on her.
One of McBride’s biggest accomplishments as a member of Delaware’s legislature came with bipartisan passage of a statewide program that helps businesses cover up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Those close to McBride have spoken about her ability to work with conservatives and that she’s known in Delaware for reaching across the aisle.
And even though she said she believes the House Republican conference “is a caucus of chaos” she would try to find common ground where she could.
“Some of them are going to be weird. Some of them might not work with me or any Democrat, but I’ll continue to find the ones that will work with Democrats, and I will always have an outstretched hand,” she said.
Rep. Robert Garcia, another Equality Caucus member, called McBride “the most important person we got to elect to Congress.”
“I think we’re all going to be excited to see her, but also see those Republicans having to interact with her and treat her in a way they treat everybody else, and she has the same voice and same vote everyone else has,” Garcia told NOTUS.
Outside advocates agree.
“Having transgender representation in Congress is a huge milestone. It will humanize transgender Americans to elected officials who are unfamiliar with us,” Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of Advocates for Trans Equality, said in a statement to NOTUS. “When Sarah McBride joins Congress, other members of Congress will, for the first time, have the opportunity to see a trans person not as a political punching bag, but as a peer.”
Heng-Lehtinen, who is trans, is the son of former Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Ros-Lehntinen has advocated for members of her own party to tone down their anti-trans rhetoric.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision on U.S. v. Skrmetti — the gender-affirming care case — in June of next year. Democrats (including McBride) do not expect the conservative-majority court to rule in favor of trans rights.
As that opinion approaches, McBride keenly understands what her presence in Congress will mean to the trans community.
“It’s the power of our presence that combats the mischaracterizations and the demonization that we see of a community that’s in the crosshairs of right-wing attacks,” McBride said. “That is how you actually more effectively combat these attacks. It’s not … through a tweet, it’s not through a press release. It’s by demonstrating the wholeness of the humanity of trans folks, by being a great doctor, a great lawyer, a great educator, a great member of Congress.”
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Oriana González is a reporter at NOTUS.