Sarah McBride Becomes First Openly Transgender Member of Congress

Democrats cheered the historic win, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has already acknowledged that McBride’s security will need to be addressed.

Sarah McBride

Democrats say they are preparing for a world where McBride’s future GOP colleagues don’t welcome her. Pamela Smith/AP

Sarah McBride has made history and will be the first openly transgender member of Congress, after winning the race for Delaware’s at-large House seat.

Her victory “is a watershed moment in American politics,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, co-chair of the House Equality Caucus, said in a statement to NOTUS. “In the midst of a fraught national election cycle plagued by anti-LGBTQ and specifically anti-trans fearmongering from the GOP, Sarah has proven tonight that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice and that, ultimately, most people are good.”

But as Republicans campaigned on anti-trans initiatives throughout the election cycle, Democrats say they are preparing for a world where McBride’s future GOP colleagues don’t welcome her.