On a mid-November morning in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride leaned into one of two oversized leather chairs in Cannon House Office Building Room 347. With studio lights glowing softly and an American flag stationed in the corner, the room felt more like a television set than a congressional space. Perhaps this was fitting for the first out transgender person elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, a history-making moment that has placed McBride in the national spotlight at a time when trans rights are in peril.
Time is a finite and highly in-demand resource for McBride these days as she juggles the demands of transitioning from her role in the Delaware State Senate to Congress. She arrived flanked by aides with a short window for our interview, but she was poised and ready to reflect on her historic victory and the work ahead.
It’s a call she has long been prepared for. Before serving in Delaware, McBride, who had worked on President Joe Biden’s late son Beau’s two races for attorney general, served as an intern in the Obama White House after coming out as trans to her classmates at American University in 2012. Later, she worked at the Human Rights Campaign, where her advocacy amplified the voices of LGBTQ+ people and shaped the conversation on equality and justice.
Mike Nelson @mknlsn
Now, stepping into the House, McBride brings a résumé that blends political savvy, policy fluency, and frontline advocacy.
Related: Sarah McBride’s introduces her first bill in Congress
It had already been a whirlwind week. She’d participated in first-year orientation alongside her incoming class of representatives, many seasoned politicians, nonprofit leaders, and policy wonks. For McBride, the weight of history felt real when she stepped onto the House floor for the first time.
“I thought about all the history that occurred in that space,” she said. She paused to absorb the enormity of it. “The passage of the 13th and 14th amendments. The Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Affordable Care Act. I’m truly honored to have this opportunity on behalf of Delawareans to help write this chapter in our country’s story.”
Pride is real for McBride in several ways. “I am a proud Delawarean to the point that my friends and I invented the word 'stateriot' [a portmanteau of state and patriot] to describe ourselves,” she said.
Congresswoman Sarah McBride chats with Advocate senior national reporter Christopher Wiggins in the halls of the historic Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. Mike Nelson @mknlsn
At 34, McBride has entered Congress at a fraught time. The nation is polarized, and anti-trans rhetoric has reached a fever pitch. Donald Trump is returning to the White House, and all branches of government will be controlled by Republicans, many of whom have made it clear that they see her — and people like her — as a target. She’s undeterred.
“I’m proud of who I am. I’m proud to be who I am,” she said. “But I didn’t run to be known just for my identity. I ran to be Delaware’s member of Congress, working on all of the issues that matter.”
Support The Advocate's journalism. Find out how you can contribute here.
Delawareans, it seems, agreed. McBride won her seat decisively, earning the highest percentage of any Democrat running for a major statewide office in Delaware.
“Despite the fact that Delaware is in the Philadelphia media market, where anti-trans ads were playing regularly, those ads and those issues weren’t what I was hearing from voters on the campaign trail,” she said. “I was hearing that the American dream is increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible.”
Mike Nelson @mknlsn
Her victory hasn’t gone unnoticed by those eager to make an example of her. Just days after our interview, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that bathrooms in House-controlled spaces would be restricted based on an individual’s gender assigned at birth. The announcement — made on Transgender Day of Remembrance, no less — was as cruel as it was performative.
McBride refused to take the bait. “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms,” she said. “I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families.”
Related: Sarah McBride is 'mystified' that Republicans are making trans people a 'priority'
The policy sparked outrage among advocates and allies, but McBride remained steady. Her colleagues on Capitol Hill have already demonstrated solidarity, offering her their personal restrooms to circumvent the ban. The gesture speaks volumes about McBride’s ability to foster relationships even in contentious environments, something she has honed throughout her career. She’s made long-lasting impressions in places like HRC.
“Working with Sarah at the Human Rights Campaign, her talent, motivation, and heart were undeniable,” HRC Chief of Staff Jay Brown said. “As our national press secretary, she was an incredible voice for our community, and I know she will continue to be an incredible voice for the people of Delaware in Congress.”
He added, “As a trans man, she gives me hope for what is possible.”
McBride talks with Delaware state senator Dave Sokola (left) following a press conference on the steps of Legislative Hall in March 2024. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
She is no stranger to challenging conversations or working across the aisle. In the Delaware State Senate, she built bipartisan coalitions to pass significant legislation, including paid family leave and major investments in healthcare. In 2023, McBride also moved her Republican colleagues to cosponsor a ban on the gay and trans panic defense in the state. She’s approaching her new role in Congress with the same strategy.
“Our job is to work with anyone who’s willing to work with us to help our constituents,” she said. “That means working with our Democratic colleagues and yes, our Republican colleagues.” But she warns that “collaboration is a two-way street, and it is on my Republican colleagues to muster the same maturity that American workers muster every single day when they go into workplaces to work with people who look, think, and vote differently than they do.”
Still, McBride is clear-eyed about the reality of serving in a House dominated by far-right voices. “There are professional provocateurs parading as public officials,” she said. “But part of this job is working with people who may disagree with us on every other issue. If we can find common ground on one thing, we have a responsibility to move this country forward.”
Her hope and determination are rooted not just in political conviction but in personal experience. McBride spoke candidly about her late husband, Andy Cray, who died of cancer at 28, four days after their wedding in August 2014. She recalled the words of her brother, a radiation oncologist, who told her during Andy’s final weeks, “This is going to be incredibly difficult, but you should take stock in the acts of amazing grace that will fill your life.”
McBride and Katie Couric speak during the 'Feminism: A Battlefield Report' session at the Women in the World Summit in April 2019, New York City. Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Those acts of grace — friends organizing a wedding in five days, loved ones camping out at the hospital — have shaped McBride’s approach to public service. “Hope only makes sense in the face of hardship,” she said.
For LGBTQ+ youth, McBride’s election is itself an act of hope. She frequently hears from young people who see themselves in her and take pride in her journey. “It gives them a little bit of comfort that the heart of this country may be big enough to love them too,” she said. “That they may be able to live their truth and dream big dreams all at the same time.”
McBride’s optimism is not naïve — it’s intentional. She views this moment, with all its tension and hostility, as a potential turning point. “The story of this nation has always been the dual story of progress and pain,” she said. “As scary as this moment may be, and frankly as dangerous as this moment may be, when the final story of this chapter is written, I believe we’ll see that we can make this a slingshot moment. Yes, we’ve been pulled backward, but the tension and pressure of being pulled backward can propel us to destinations we’ve not yet been.”
Watch the latest episode of Cover to Cover with Advocate Channel correspondant Stephen Walker here:
In her moments of downtime, McBride is refreshingly relatable. She’s a proud aunt to her nieces and nephews, a history nerd, a Lego enthusiast, and an unapologetic fan of what she calls “bad reality TV,” especially The Traitors(all versions).
“It’s queer canon,” she said with a grin.
As our conversation came to an end, I asked what she’d say to her younger self, the girl who might never have dreamed of a day like this. McBride didn’t hesitate.
“Your fears are understandable, but they will prove to be unfounded,” she said. “Nothing is truly impossible.”
When Sarah McBride entered the Capitol as a member of Congress for the first time this month, she faced some colleagues who refused to acknowledge her humanity. She walked past bathrooms she was barred from using. And she walked into history — not as a symbol, but as a legislator ready to deliver. For Delawareans. For everyone.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Mike Nelson
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Raine Bascos
LOCATION: Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
For fun and fascinating tidbits and teases of what's in the latest print issues of The Advocate & Out, watch Cover to Cover on the Advocate Channel: