Sarah McBride Elected As The First Trans State Senator In United States

Sarah McBride (30) made history on Tuesday becoming the first openly transgender state Senator to get elected in the United States. Sarah beat GOP candidate Steve Washington for the Delaware senate, the first trans person elected to the state’s legislature.

“We did it. We won the general election. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ” kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too. As Delaware continues to face the COVID crisis, it’s time to get to work to invest in the policies that will make a difference for working families,” Sarah said in her first reaction to the win.

We did it. We won the general election.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

— Sen. Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 4, 2020

Sarah, a prominent LGBTQI rights campaigner, was an intern at the White House in the Obama administration – the first out transgender person to work in the White House. She currently serves as the national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign. McBride got married to fellow activist late Andrew Cray in 2014. Cray died from cancer four days after the marriage.

Sarah was part of late Beau Biden’s 2010 campaign for Delaware Attorney General. She came out as transgender in 2011 in her school’s paper.

“Sarah’s overwhelming victory is a powerful testament to the growing influence of transgender leaders in our politics and gives hope to countless trans people looking toward a brighter future. Throughout this election cycle, Donald Trump and other cynical politicians attempted to use trans people as a political weapon, believing they could gain popularity by stoking fear and hate. For Sarah to shatter a lavender ceiling in such a polarising year is a powerful reminder that voters are increasingly rejecting the politics of bigotry in favor of candidates who stand for fairness and equality. Her victory will inspire more trans people to follow in her footsteps and run for public office,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national-level organisation whose mission is to elect LGBTQI candidates in the US.

McBride was not the only trans person making history. Taylor Small was elected to the Vermont state legislature – the first openly trans person to achieve that feat.

There were other victories for the LGBTQI community on Tuesday.

• Openly gay Ritchie Torres became the first Afro-Latinx LGBTQ elected to the Congress from Bronx.
• Mondaire Jones of New York will join Torres as the first openly gay Black men elected to the Congress.
• Shervin Jones became the first LGBTQI person elected to the Florida state senate.
• Michele Reyner was elected to the Florida legislature as its first Black LGBTQI member.
• Kim Jackson has been elected to the Georgia state senate as its first openly LGBTQI person.
• Jabari Brisport is the first openly LGBTQI person of colour elected to the New York state senate.