Tuesday, November 3, 2020, human rights and equality activist Sarah McBride won the state senator election in Delaware. At just 30 years old, McBride is immediately taking office but will be officially sworn in in January, making her the first transgender person to have a position in the US state senate. 

Taking more than 73% of the votes in Delaware, as stated by Delaware’s Department of Elections, McBride defeated her opponent, Steven Washinton, by a landslide. After her win, McBride tweeted out, “We did it…I hope [this victory] shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too.”

Before winning the election, McBride was the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and she was also a part of the board of directors of Equality Delaware. “Tonight, Sarah made history,” according to the HRC, “not just for herself but for our entire community. She gives a voice to the marginalized as a representative and an advocate.” Although many of her colleagues from the HRC will miss having her in the campaign, they are looking forward to seeing the future accomplishments she will make as a state senator.

On her official website, McBride explains, “I love Delaware and I want us to live up to our values… But change only happens when people with big ideas and the courage to get them done step forward. That’s why this campaign matters.” Also, McBride’s homepage explains that she is fighting to make healthcare more affordable, to expand paid leave, to support schools, and to reform the criminal justice system. 

In 2012, McBride came out as transgender in the student newspaper at American University. During this time she was serving as the student-government president. In the newspaper, McBride talked about how she struggled immensely with her gender identity and said that she felt “life was passing me by” when she identified as a male. In 2016, McBride gave a TED talk, “Gender Assigned To Us At Birth Should Not Dictate Who We Are,” and described the hardships she faced with her identity before coming out, then she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, becoming the first openly transgender woman to talk at the political convention. In 2018, McBride published a book, Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality. Now, McBride is the first transgender woman to ever be elected in the Senate and has received a huge amount of support from a number of political figures. Joe Biden even reached out to McBride saying that “I am so proud of you, and I’m so happy you’re who you are.”

Brandon Vega (12) admits that he was surprised to see a transgender woman elected but claims that “we, as a society, are taking steps in the right direction to a more equal and open-minded world. I also believe that her position is beyond deserving as her views and plans… all lead to a better society.” Overall, McBride’s victory has accumulated an abundance of positivity throughout the nation, even during these uncertain times, and many LGBTQ members and advocates are proud of her current success and are eager to see how she will leave her mark in the government. Congratulations Sarah McBride!