Sarah McBride

Sarah McBride
Born	Sarah Elizabeth McBride 09 08, 1990
Birthplace	Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, author, activist
Known for	First openly transgender member of the United States Congress
Education	American University (BA, 2013)
Website	[[[:Template:Official website]] Official site]

Sarah Elizabeth McBride (born August 9, 1990) is an American politician, author, and LGBTQ rights activist who has served as the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district since January 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, McBride previously represented Delaware's 1st senate district in the Delaware Senate from 2021 to 2025 and served as the national press secretary of the Human Rights Campaign from 2016 to 2021. McBride is the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress and the highest-ranking openly transgender elected official in the nation's history. Before entering electoral politics, she played a central role in lobbying for Delaware's landmark legislation banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity in employment, housing, insurance, and public accommodations. In July 2016, she became the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in American history when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention. McBride is also the author of the 2018 memoir Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality, which includes a foreword by Joe Biden.

Early life

Sarah Elizabeth McBride was born on August 9, 1990, in Wilmington, Delaware. She grew up in Delaware and attended local schools in the Wilmington area. McBride has spoken publicly about grappling with her gender identity from a young age, though she did not come out as transgender until she was a student at American University in Washington, D.C.

In a 2012 essay published on the Born This Way Foundation's Tumblr page, McBride wrote about her experience coming out, describing the internal struggle she had faced for years before publicly sharing her identity. She also authored an essay for The Huffington Post titled "The Real Me," in which she discussed the personal significance of living authentically.

McBride's coming out was notable in part because of the public role she held at the time. She had been elected student body president at American University prior to her transition, making her disclosure a high-profile event on campus. A June 2012 report by WAMU documented her transition under the headline "From Tim to Sarah: AU Student Body President Unveils Big News," detailing how she came out publicly while still serving in the student government leadership role. McBride received support from many of her fellow students and university administrators, setting the stage for her subsequent career in advocacy and public service.

Education

McBride attended American University in Washington, D.C., where she enrolled in the School of Public Affairs. She was elected student body president before publicly coming out as transgender during her time at the university. A 2025 profile by American University noted that McBride has credited her time at the institution with shaping her into the person and public servant she became, stating that she "found courage, compassion, community at AU." She graduated from American University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2013.

Following her graduation, McBride's academic background in public affairs informed her immediate entry into political advocacy work, beginning with her lobbying efforts on transgender rights legislation in Delaware.

Career

Advocacy and lobbying (2012–2016)

While still a student at American University, McBride became involved in advocacy for transgender rights in her home state of Delaware. After graduating in 2013, she was instrumental in lobbying the Delaware General Assembly for the passage of legislation that banned discrimination on the basis of gender identity in employment, housing, insurance, and public accommodations. The bill was signed into law by Governor Jack Markell. A report by BuzzFeed News documented how McBride, described as a "young advocate," helped secure the passage of trans protections in the state.

McBride went on to work at the Center for American Progress, a progressive policy institute in Washington, D.C., where she was listed as a member of the organization's staff.

In 2015, McBride served as an intern at the White House during the Obama administration, becoming one of the first openly transgender people to work in the White House in that capacity. A Washington Post video feature documented her reflections on President Obama's LGBTQ legacy and her own experience as a transgender woman working in the executive branch. During this period, she also participated in public diplomacy efforts; a 2015 transcript from the IIP Digital platform of the U.S. State Department recorded her involvement in a discussion related to LGBTQ issues.

A December 2013 report by WAMU profiled McBride's life in the period following her coming out and graduation, chronicling her growing public role as an advocate for transgender rights.

Human Rights Campaign and 2016 DNC speech (2016–2020)

In 2016, McBride joined the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ advocacy organization in the United States, as its national press secretary. She held this position from 2016 to 2021, serving as a prominent spokesperson for the organization during a period of intense national debate over transgender rights.

McBride's national profile rose significantly in July 2016 when she was selected to speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Her appearance made her the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in American history. During her speech, McBride discussed her personal story, the loss of her husband Andrew Cray to cancer, and the importance of LGBTQ equality. The address was widely covered in national media.

In 2018, McBride published her memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality. The book detailed her personal journey, her advocacy work, her relationship with her late husband Andrew Cray — a fellow transgender rights advocate who died of cancer — and her broader vision for transgender equality. The memoir included a foreword by Joe Biden, who was then the former Vice President of the United States. McBride has been credited with shaping Biden's personal views and political evolution on transgender issues.

During her time at HRC, McBride was also featured by the Victory Fund, which highlighted her as a notable figure in LGBTQ politics.

Delaware State Senate (2020–2025)

In 2019, McBride announced her candidacy for the Delaware Senate seat representing the 1st district, which had been held by Harris McDowell III. The district encompasses parts of Wilmington and the surrounding area.

McBride won the Democratic primary and went on to win the general election on November 3, 2020, becoming the first openly transgender person elected as a state senator in the United States. Her election was covered extensively in national and international media as a milestone in LGBTQ political representation. She succeeded Harris McDowell III and took office in January 2021.

During her tenure in the Delaware Senate, McBride focused on issues including healthcare, paid family and medical leave, and protections for LGBTQ Delawareans. She served in the state legislature until January 2, 2025, when she was succeeded by Dan Cruce.

U.S. House of Representatives (2025–present)

In 2024, McBride ran for Delaware's at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, seeking to succeed Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was running for the United States Senate. McBride won the Democratic primary and subsequently won the general election in November 2024, becoming the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress. Britannica described her as "a progressive Democrat" who won Delaware's single seat in the U.S. House.

McBride took office on January 3, 2025. Her election and swearing-in were accompanied by significant media attention, but also controversy. In a November 2025 interview with The Advocate, McBride described the emotional difficulty of the period, stating that "the high of orientation was met with probably the deepest low of my life outside of losing my husband to cancer," referencing challenges she faced as the first transgender member of Congress.

In her first term, McBride has pursued a strategy of bipartisan engagement. In a February 2026 interview with NOTUS, she stated that she has been "particular about when and how she responds" to political attacks, and that picking her battles has helped her find bipartisan success in the House.

McBride has also focused on constituent services and Delaware-specific policy issues. In February 2026, she hosted Delaware's inaugural Agriculture Summit in Harrington, where she discussed the needs of local farmers and agricultural policy changes with constituents and stakeholders.

In a June 2025 opinion piece and podcast interview published by The New York Times, McBride discussed the trans rights movement's shortcomings and argued for a politics of persuasion, reckoning publicly with the strategies and messaging employed by advocates for transgender equality.

In February 2026, McBride appeared alongside former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, where the two participated in a panel discussion about women's rights and addressed what they described as the weaponization of "scarcity" in driving anti-trans political attacks.

A January 2026 profile in Washingtonian magazine offered a more informal portrait of McBride's life as a member of Congress, describing her settling into her Congressional office after "a long week."

Personal life

McBride has been open about significant aspects of her personal life, particularly her marriage to Andrew Cray, a fellow transgender rights advocate who worked at the Center for American Progress. Cray was diagnosed with cancer, and the couple married in 2014. Cray died shortly after their wedding. McBride has written and spoken extensively about her husband's life, their relationship, and his death, including in her 2018 memoir Tomorrow Will Be Different and in her 2016 address at the Democratic National Convention.

McBride is from Wilmington, Delaware, and has maintained her ties to the state throughout her career in Washington, D.C. She has described the loss of her husband as a defining personal experience, one that informed both her advocacy work and her approach to public life.

Recognition

McBride's career has been marked by a series of historic firsts in American politics and LGBTQ representation. In 2016, she became the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. In 2020, she became the first openly transgender person elected as a state senator in the United States. In 2024, she became the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress, and as of her swearing-in in January 2025, the nation's highest-ranking openly transgender elected official.

McBride has been profiled and featured by numerous national and international media outlets, including The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Advocate, Gay Times, BuzzFeed News, and Washingtonian. She has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign, the Victory Fund, and other organizations for her contributions to LGBTQ rights and political representation.

Her 2018 memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different, received attention for its personal narrative and its foreword by Joe Biden. The book contributed to broader public discussion about transgender lives and rights in the United States.

In 2025, American University highlighted McBride as a distinguished alumna, noting her career trajectory from student body president to member of Congress and crediting the university community with helping to shape her path.

Her appearance at the 2026 Munich Security Conference alongside Hillary Clinton placed her on an international stage, where she addressed issues of gender equality and the politics surrounding transgender rights on a global platform.

Legacy

McBride's career represents a series of milestones in the political representation of transgender Americans. Her election to the Delaware Senate in 2020 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 were both historic firsts, and her trajectory from campus activist to member of Congress has been cited as an example of the increasing visibility and participation of transgender individuals in American political life.

Her role in the passage of Delaware's gender identity nondiscrimination law in 2013 demonstrated the impact of direct lobbying by transgender advocates at the state level, and the legislation served as a model for similar efforts in other states.

McBride's public engagement with questions of political strategy for the trans rights movement — including her June 2025 New York Times interview in which she discussed what she characterized as the movement's shortcomings — has positioned her as a figure willing to engage in self-critical analysis of progressive advocacy approaches. Her stated approach of bipartisan engagement and selective response to political attacks in Congress has been noted as a deliberate strategy to advance legislative goals in a polarized political environment.

Her memoir and public speeches have contributed to public discourse on transgender identity, grief, and the intersection of personal experience with political advocacy. McBride's influence on Joe Biden's views on transgender issues, as noted in multiple sources, placed her in a role that extended beyond electoral politics into the shaping of executive-level policy perspectives.