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Sarah McBride (born August 9, 1990 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American LGBT rights activist and political figure. She is currently the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. McBride made national headlines when she came out as transgender to her college while serving as student body president at American University.

McBride is largely credited with the passage of legislation in Delaware banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity in employment, housing, insurance, and public accommodations. In July 2016, it was announced that she would be a speaker at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, July 28, becoming the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in American history.

Career

Early life and education

Sarah McBride is the daughter of David and Sally McBride and was born in Wilmington, DE. Prior to coming out, McBride was a campaign staffer in Delaware, working on several campaigns including Attorney General Beau Biden's 2010 campaign and Governor Jack Markell's 2008 campaign. In 2011, McBride was elected student body president at American University. During her last week as student body president, McBride gained international notoriety when she came out as a transgender woman in her college's student newspaper, The Eagle. McBride's coming out was featured on NPR, Huffington Post, and by Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation.

After coming out, McBride got a call from Attorney General Biden, saying, "Sarah, I just wanted you to know, I'm so proud of you. I love you, and you're still a part of the Biden family." Vice President Joe Biden expressed similar sentiments, sharing that he was proud of her and happy for her. 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 LGBT issues. In a speech in May 2015, Second Lady Jill Biden told Sarah's story. She added, "we believe young people should be valued for who they are, no matter what they look like, where they’re from, the gender with which they identify, or who they love."

Activism

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 crimes 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's close relationship with Governor Jack Markell and Attorney General Beau Biden was credited with getting both elected officials vocally 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. The amended bill was then re-passed by the state senate and immediately signed into law by Governor Jack Markell in June 2013.

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. Her tireless advocacy for passage of this legislation has made a real difference for all transgender people in Delaware."

Since the passage of Delaware's gender identity protections and hate crimes legislation, McBride to work on the LGBT Progress team at the Center for American Progress. McBride has spoken at a number of colleges and LGBT events, including the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, the Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Dinner, the Victory Fund National Brunch, the University of Pennsylvania, and Gettysburg College. McBride was ranked the Most Valuable Progressive in Delaware by DelawareLiberal.net listed in the 2014 list of the Trans 100, and named one of the fifty upcoming millennials poised to make a difference in the coming years by MIC.com. A 2015 article in the NewStatesman on transgender representation in elective office predicted McBride would be the first transgender American elected to high public office. McBride was a panelist at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's "GLOBE Pride 2016" on youth and workplace bullying. McBride has been featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, Al Jazeera, PBS NewsHour, Teen Vogue, North Carolina Public Radio, The New Yorker, MSNBC, ThinkProgress, Buzzfeed, the Washington Post, and NPR.

In April 2016, McBride delivered a TED Talk titled, "Gender assigned to us at birth should not dictate who we are." As of 2016, she also serves on the steering committee of Trans United for Hillary, an effort to educate and mobilize transgender people and their allies in support of Hillary Clinton.

Personal life

In August 2014, McBride married her then-boyfriend Andrew Cray after he received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson presided at their ceremony. Four days after their nuptials, Cray died from cancer.

References

1. http://www.hrc.org/hrc-story/staff
2. http://www.hrc.org/hrc-story/staff/sarah-mcbride
3. ^ Landau, Lauren (8 June 2012). "From Tim To Sarah: AU Student Body President Unveils Big News". WAMU 88.5. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
4. Karlan, Sarah (20 June 2013). "Delaware Passes Trans Protections, With Help From A Young Advocate". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
5. ^ Cohen, Celia (13 June 2013). "Trans". Delaware Grapevine. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
6. http://www.hrc.org/blog/hrcs-sarah-mcbride-to-become-first-openly-transgender-person-to-speak-at-a
7. http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/davidbadash/at_this_week_s_dnc_sarah_mcbride_will_become_first_openly_transgender_speaker_to_address_major_party
8. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/289020-hrc-press-secretary-to-be-first-openly-transgender-person-to
9. http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/embattled-wasserman-schultz-wont-speak-convention
10. McBride, Sarah (1 May 2012). "Op-Ed: The Real Me". The Eagle. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
11. McBride, Sarah (9 May 2012). "The Real Me". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
12. "Coming Out Ok". Born This Way Foundation. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
13. ^ Landau, Lauren (20 December 2013). "One Woman's Life After Coming Out As Transgender". WAMU 88.5. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
14. http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2015/05/20150504315119.html#axzz4FLvWKBuD
15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlJvDi8q5k4
16. Lavers, Michael (25 June 2013). "AU graduate credited with securing passage of Del. transgender rights bill". The Washington Blade. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
17. Rini, Jen (19 June 2013). "Delaware Senate OKs transgender bill; Markell signs into law". Delaware State News. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
18. "Governor Signs Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Act". State of Delaware News. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
19. "Sarah McBride". Center for American Progress. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
20. "Sarah McBride in Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Gala 2015". Zimbio. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
21. "Victory Fund National Campaign Brunch, Washington, D.C." VICTORY Magazine. 1 (2): 44.
22. "Statewide LGBT Youth Conference on Transgender Justice to be Held at the University of Pennsylvania February 14-16, 2014". Erie Gay News. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
23. "Sarah McBride: Being Trans* and a Leader". WHP CBS 21 News. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
24. "Honoring the 2013 MVP's (Most Valuable to the Progressive Cause)". Delaware Liberal. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
25. Simon, Carolyn (31 March 2014). "Trans 100 List Honors Transgender Visibility". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
26. "Meet the Mic 50: Sarah McBride". Mic. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
27. "The invisibility of transgender people in electoral politics around the world". www.newstatesman.com. http://www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved 2015-11-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw5vyJ30djM
29. http://www.transunitedforhillary.org/#!about-us/cjg9
30. "Forever And Ever: Losing My Husband At 24". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-17.

• 1990 births
• Living people
• American progressives
• Obama Administration personnel
• People from Wilmington, Delaware
• People from Washington, D.C.
• Transgender and transsexual women
• LGBT Christians
• LGBT rights activists from the United States
• Transgender rights activists
• American University alumni