Longtime activist Sarah McBride was sworn into the Delaware state Senate on Tuesday, making history twice over. In addition to being the first out transgender woman seated in the upper house of a state’s legislature, McBride is now the highest-ranking trans official in the entire United States.
In an outdoor, socially distant ceremony held at the Claymont Community Center outside of McBride’s hometown of Wilmington, the 30-year-old was officially sworn into office. She was joined by family, friends, and fellow trans advocates.
The site had a personal significance for McBride, who noted in a tweet thread that the location was formerly home to Claymont High School, which she said was “the first high school in a segregated state to be legally integrated.” “The story of this building represents two enduring truths: that we can change and that we share a neighborly duty to care,” she wrote.
In a series of tweets posted the day of her inauguration, McBride shared photos of the outfit she planned to wear for the ceremony and of her childhood Bible, which she was gifted by the Westminster Presbyterian Church at the age of 8, a church she still attends. She also posted an emotional tribute to her late husband, Andy, who passed away from cancer in 2014 just days after their marriage.
“When I swear in with my left hand on the bible, it will be like Andy is right there with me,” she wrote. “I know he is proud of me.”
He’s not the only one. After McBride’s swearing-in, LGBTQ+ Americans from across the country expressed their support and congratulations.
Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, where McBride served as a spokesperson prior to her election, lauded her in a statement as someone who “gives a voice to the marginalized as a representative and an advocate.” Elliot Imse, vice president of communications at the LGBTQ+ political action group Victory Fund, predicted that she would “be a fantastic leader for her district.”
“While our nation’s politics appear as grim and divisive as ever, Sarah’s swearing-in gives hope that a new generation of leadership is on the horizon and that inclusivity and empathy will be their guiding values,” he said in a statement. “[…] I am confident we are witnessing the beginning of a long and impressive political career.”
McBride now officially represents Delaware’s 1st Senate district, a largely Democratic area spanning from the Northeast coast down the state’s Pennsylvania border. She swept up 91% of the vote during last September’s Democratic primary after securing an endorsement from her predecessor, Harris McDowell, and went onto win the November general election by a 46-point margin.
Following her historic win, McBride said that she hopes her accomplishments encourage other LGBTQ+ people — particularly queer and trans youth — to run for office someday. While a record 334 LGBTQ+ politicians were elected in 2020, the community still needs 50 times greater political representation to achieve parity.
“It is my hope that a young LGBTQ kid here in Delaware or really anywhere in this country can look at the results and know that our democracy is big enough for them, too,” she said in an election night speech.
Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for them.’s weekly newsletter here.
