Sarah McBride: From Local Advocate to National Trailblazer

Sarah McBride's journey is one of personal discovery, political ambition, and groundbreaking achievements. From her early interest in politics to her historic election as the first openly transgender member of the U.S. Congress, McBride has consistently broken barriers and championed equality. This article explores her educational background, early political involvement, and her rise as a prominent voice in American politics.

Early Life and Education: A Foundation in Delaware

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, on August 9, 1990, to David and Sally McBride, Sarah's upbringing instilled in her a deep connection to her home state. Her mother, Sally McBride, cofounded the Cab Calloway School of the Arts, where she also worked as a counselor. Her father, David McBride, was a corporate attorney. Sarah graduated from Cab Calloway in 2009 and then attended American University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a bachelor's degree in government in 2013.

Even as a child, Sarah felt homesick for a place she’d never been. The only reprieve came when, as a child, she played with two little girls who lived across the street in her idyllic Wilmington neighborhood. But then the clock struck midnight and it was back to another game of dress-up-one that McBride would play for 21 years of her life, until she publicly came out as transgender in a May 2012 op-ed in the Eagle.

Early Political Inclinations

McBride's interest in politics began at a young age. The youngest of three children, she was dubbed the "little president" by her elementary school teachers. Fascinated by history and politics, McBride began at age six building models of the White House and devouring books about presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

"When you’re in the closet, you’re forced-even at a very young age-to figure out what an authentic life, a joyful life, a meaningful life, looks like. It was clear that what brought me joy and meaning was bringing about change and making a difference in my community,” she says.

Her passion for politics extended beyond the classroom. In high school, she was known as Tour Guide McBride, a nod to her unabashed love for the First State.

American University and Student Government

At American University, McBride became deeply involved in student government. She was elected president of the American University Student Government in 2011, having earlier worked on "arts advocacy, the purchase of conflict-free minerals on campus and academic regulations" as a member of the undergraduate senate from 2010. During her tenure, the political science major championed gender-inclusive housing that allowed LGBTQ students to select their roommates, rather than being assigned based on their legal gender. McBride also advocated for full transitional care for trans students on the university’s insurance plan.

Andrew Toczydlowski, director of student development and services at the Kogod School of Business, who met McBride when he was working with politically affiliated student groups in the Office of Campus Life, noted that “Sarah was a dedicated leader who just radiated enthusiasm and charisma."

Despite all her success, however, feelings of self-loathing and homesickness-that constant ache in her gut-were becoming more unbearable. McBride realized that making space for others to lead more authentic and joyful lives wasn’t enough. “It felt like a symbol of the stark contrast between where I was and where I wanted to be,” McBride writes in her memoir, “between how I was perceived and who I knew I was, and between my parents’ hopes for the future-a happy, successful child-and what I knew they would fear with my news: rejection.

Coming Out and Embracing Authenticity

McBride publicly came out as transgender in a May 2012 op-ed in the Eagle.

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Minutes later, Eagle editor in chief Zach Cohen, SIS/BA ’14, who worked in a nearby office in Mary Graydon Center, knocked on McBride’s door. He was on deadline and wanted to know if the stories slated for the next day’s issue about her tenure as president should include her chosen name and pronouns. “I’ll never forget watching as Sarah sat next to me in the Eagle office, painstakingly finding ways to trim her thoughtful coming-out story to fit the limits of precious column inches for a weekly newspaper that had largely been written and laid out already,” says Cohen, Senate correspondent for the National Journal. “But I’m grateful she did. With every birthday candle extinguished, with every penny thrown, my wish was always the same. I am now blessed with the opportunity to live my dream and fulfill a truth I have known since childhood.

The response to the op-ed, which made national headlines, was overwhelmingly positive.

After coming out, McBride received a call from Attorney General of Delaware Beau Biden, saying, "Sarah, I just wanted you to know, I'm so proud of you.

Early Career and Political Advocacy

McBride's career began with internships and staff positions on various campaigns in Delaware. In 2003, while campaigning on behalf of her father’s colleague, who was running for insurance commissioner, McBride met Jack Markell, the state treasurer with a smile as warm as hers. “Sarah made an impression on me from the first time we met,” Markell says. “I could tell Sarah has a great way with people-she is disarming and insightful. As we got to know each other, I also learned that she is strategic in her thinking and a fantastic orator. Sarah also brings people together. After interning for his gubernatorial campaign, McBride worked for Markell as a field organizer. It was her first paid political gig. She was 18. Markell was McBride’s second call-after her parents-when she won the race for 2011-12 AU Student Government president during her sophomore year.

In 2012, McBride interned at the White House, becoming the first openly transgender woman to work there in any capacity. McBride worked in the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, where she worked on LGBTQ issues. In a speech in May 2015, Second Lady Jill Biden told McBride's story.

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In January 2013, McBride joined the board of directors of Equality Delaware and quickly became the state's leading advocate for legal protections and hate crime legislation for transgender Delawareans. McBride and her family led the lobbying effort for legislation protecting Delawareans from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression in employment, housing, insurance, and public accommodations. In addition to serving as the primary spokesperson for the legislation, McBride built on her close relationship with Governor Jack Markell and Attorney General Beau Biden to gain the vocal support of both officials behind the bill. The legislation passed the state senate by a margin of one vote and the state house by a vote of 24-17.

Upon signing the legislation, Markell stated: I especially want to thank my friend Sarah McBride, an intelligent and talented Delawarean who happens to be transgender. She courageously stood before the General Assembly to describe her personal struggles with gender identity and communicate her desire to return home after her college graduation without fear.

Landmark Legislation and Advocacy

In Delaware, McBride led the successful effort to pass a landmark non-discrimination law. For her work and advocacy, former Gov. Markell awarded McBride the Order of the First State, making her one of the youngest Delawareans granted the state’s highest civilian honor.

On July 28, 2016, McBride became the first openly transgender person to speak at a national party convention when she spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

State Senator for Delaware

McBride won her election in November 2020, becoming the first transgender state senator in United States history. As a state senator, McBride passed legislation expanding access to health care, requiring mental health and media literacy education in public schools, promoting green technologies, and protecting workers and families.

In her first term as state senator, McBride passed the landmark Healthy Delaware Families Act, providing paid family and medical leave to workers throughout the First State and marking the largest expansion of Delaware's social safety net in decades. In her final term, she passed the largest ongoing investment into Delaware’s Medicaid program since the Affordable Care Act. Passing the legislation with unanimous and bipartisan support, the Protect Medicaid Act of 2024 unlocks over $175 million annually in new discretionary Medicaid funding to protect, enhance, and expand health coverage for the roughly 200,000 Delawareans who receive care through the joint state- and federal-funded health insurance program.

Election to the U.S. House of Representatives

In November, the former AU Student Government president became the first openly transgender state senator in the country, winning 73 percent of the vote in Delaware’s first district, where she was born and raised.

In Congress, she has focused on expanding healthcare access, protecting Medicaid and supporting small businesses and workers.

As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, McBride travelled in January 2026 to Copenhagen as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation in a show of support amid the Greenland crisis.

Personal Life and Relationships

McBride married her late husband, Andrew Cray in 2014. “Andy taught me how to love and be loved, and how to live the values I fought for in my life,” McBride says. “My relationship with him also underscored for me the urgency of change-what Dr.

Recognition and Honors

For her work and advocacy, former Gov. Markell awarded McBride the Order of the First State, making her one of the youngest Delawareans granted the state’s highest civilian honor.

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