Sarah McBride

Sarah Elizabeth McBride, born on August 9, 1990, is an American politician, author, and activist for the rights of LGBTQ people. She is currently serving as the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district, a role she has held since 2025. As a member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Delaware Senate from 2021 to 2025, representing the state's 1st senate district.

McBride made history as the nation's highest-ranking openly transgender elected official and the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress. Before her time in Congress, she became the first openly transgender person elected as a state senator in the United States.

In July 2016, she spoke at the Democratic National Convention, becoming the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in American history. She has also worked hard to support fair treatment for all people, helping pass laws in Delaware to stop unfair treatment based on gender identity in jobs, homes, insurance, and public places. In 2018, she wrote a book called Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality, with a foreword by former U.S. president Joe Biden.

Early life

Sarah McBride was born on August 9, 1990, in Wilmington, Delaware, to David and Sally McBride. Her father was a lawyer, and her mother helped guide students and started a special school for the arts.

Sarah went to the Cab Calloway School of the Arts and later studied at American University in Washington, D.C.. She became involved in school government and helped with many important projects. She also worked to support local politicians like Beau Biden, Matthew Denn, and Jack Markell.

Social and political activism

Sarah McBride has always been interested in politics, even as a child. She worked on many important projects in Delaware, including helping Governor Jack Markell and Attorney General Beau Biden. In 2012, while she was president of her university’s student body, she shared publicly that she is a transgender woman. This brave moment was talked about on NPR, in The Huffington Post, and by Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation.

After sharing her story, Sarah became the first openly transgender woman to work at the White House. She helped with important issues for people in the LGBTQ community. Sarah also worked hard to make sure laws in Delaware protected everyone, no matter how they identify. Her efforts helped pass new laws, and she continued to speak at many events to support equal rights for all.

Delaware Senate

On July 9, 2019, Sarah McBride announced she was running for the Delaware Senate. She wanted to focus on helping people get good health care and allowing families to take time off work when needed.

McBride won the election in November 2020, making her the first person openly living as a different gender to serve in a state senate in the United States. She took over after Harris McDowell III decided not to run again. During her time in office, she helped pass a law called the Healthy Delaware Families Act. This law lets families take up to 12 weeks off work with pay when they need to care for a family member. Workers would get up to 80% of their pay, or $900 each week, and the cost is covered by small payments taken from paychecks.

United States House of Representatives

In June 2023, Sarah McBride announced that she would run to represent Delaware's at-large congressional district in the 2024 election. She wanted to replace Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was running for the U.S. Senate. Rochester supported McBride.

During her campaign, McBride talked about her work to help families in Delaware, like making sure people can take time off work to care for family or health needs. She also wanted to make sure everyone could afford healthcare and had enough money. In September 2024, McBride won the election to become the Democratic nominee. She then won the general election in November 2024. She became the first openly transgender member of the U.S. Congress on January 3, 2025.

McBride works on important issues in Congress as part of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. She is also a leader in groups that support equal rights and progressive ideas in Congress, such as the Congressional Equality Caucus, the Congressional Democratic Women's Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and the New Democrat Coalition.

Political positions

Foreign policy

Israel

In August 2023, Sarah McBride said she strongly supports Israel and the relationship between the United States and Israel. She believes in finding peaceful ways for Israel and its neighbors to live together, supports helping Israel, and has praised agreements that bring countries closer together. She also supports pauses in fighting to help people in difficult situations.

Ukraine

McBride agreed with the policies of the U.S. government toward Ukraine and has shown support for the country during challenging times.

Greenland

McBride visited Copenhagen in January 2026 as part of a group of lawmakers from both sides showing support during a time of tension. The group met with leaders from Denmark and Greenland to emphasize their partnership.

Social policy

LGBTQ+ rights

McBride has spoken out against unfair treatments of people based on who they are. In 2025, she talked about the importance of letting everyone serve their country, no matter who they are. She said it was wrong to force people to leave the military just because of who they are.

Personal life

Sarah McBride married another person who works for rights for everyone like her on August 24, 2014, in a small, private wedding on their apartment rooftop in Washington, D.C.

McBride is a leader in her church.

Electoral history

Sarah McBride was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2021, representing the state’s 1st senate district. She served there until 2025, when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Delaware’s at-large congressional district. She has been working hard to support fair treatment and equal rights for everyone.

Publications

Sarah McBride has written books and articles sharing her experiences and ideas. Her first book, Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality, was published in 2018 with a foreword by Joe Biden. Another book, Raising Kids Beyond the Binary: Celebrating God's Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children, features a foreword by Sarah McBride and came out in 2023.

She has also written articles for newspapers. One is called "Op-Ed: The Real Me," published in The Eagle in 2012 and later shared on HuffPost. Another article, "Forever and Ever: Losing My Husband at 24," was published in HuffPost in 2015.