Sarah McBride (R) listens to Delaware State Treasurer Colleen Davis speak at a press conference on the steps of Delaware Legislative Hall on March 4, 2024 in Dover, Delaware. Credit – Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

D.Elaware State Senator Sarah McBride, already the nation’s highest-ranking openly transgender elected official, made history once again on Tuesday, becoming the first transgender person elected to the United States Congress.

He clinched Delaware’s only seat in the House of Representatives with a landslide victory, according to the Associated Press. Although her win was a turning point for the trans community, McBride, 34, was careful not to make her identity the center of her candidacy. “I’m not running for a transgender member of Congress,” McBride says in a sit-down interview with TIME in Dover, Del., two weeks before the election. “I am running to be the best legislator I can be.”

Yet her historic victory comes at a time when transgender rights are under siege and political discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ issues has reached new levels of polarization. This year alone, state legislatures have passed or proposed nearly 700 bills aimed at restricting the rights of transgender people, from banning gender-affirming health care for minors to limiting transgender participation in sports.

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McBride was running on a platform focused on expanding access to healthcare, supporting paid family and medical leave, and addressing economic insecurity. Delaware is a traditionally blue state, and his campaign resonated with progressives and moderate Republicans attracted by his history of bipartisanship and commitment to pragmatic solutions. As a state senator, he worked with Republicans to pass paid family and medical leave legislation in Delaware.

Once in Congress, he hopes to pass a similar paid family and medical leave bill, as well as invest in universal child care and elder care. “We have 1950s maintenance infrastructure for the workforce in 2024,” he says. “I think we are losing out as a nation, both in terms of competition and in terms of compassion, because of the lack of these policies. “Hopefully, the trio of Democrats will not only prioritize, but also pass paid family medical leave, universal child care, and historic investments in housing.”

McBride will enter Congress at a time of rising political tension, especially over transgender rights. Just days before his election, former President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on transgender issues, including promises to ban gender-affirming care for minors if re-elected. Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia called McBride’s campaign an “utter evil” and previously held up anti-trans signs across the aisle from a lawmaker who has a transgender child.

When asked how he would react if another member of Congress mistreated him because of who he was, McBride said: “Their immaturity is not worthy of being honored with a response. My focus will be on getting the job done. Will there be some members of Congress who will be weird and immature about me being there? Sure, but those are none of those things.” “They have members of Congress who don’t work with Democrats, and they can barely work with their own Republican colleagues.”

McBride knows all too well the personal risks that come with being a visible LGBTQ+ public figure. He said his safety and security were top concerns during his campaign and weighed on him when he considered running for Congress. But McBride says, “If I refrain from giving back to my state and this country because of the risk, then those who want to use the risk of violence to silence people, to push them into the shadows, will have won.”

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McBride recognizes that the culture wars over trans rights, especially during a possible second Trump Administration, could make her job as a legislator even more difficult, but she plans to fight back by shifting the focus away from herself and toward legislative issues. “The only people who really care about discriminating against trans people are the extreme elements of Donald Trump’s base, a bunch of immature politicians, and the scumbags of the internet,” McBride says. “And I think what we’ve seen over the last few years is that this country doesn’t hate trans people. “There are a small number of politicians and activists who take their own insecurities and despair and turn it into a political tactic, and I don’t think that really works.”

While McBride’s personal story has garnered much of the national attention, he wants his work in Congress to be remembered for his focus on issues that directly impact his constituents. He plans to join both the New Democrat Coalition, which advocates centrist policies, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, whose members are pushing for bold progressive reforms.

She is also a long-time advocate for transgender rights. In 2013, she played a key role in advocating for a Delaware bill protecting transgender people from discrimination, and in 2016, she gave a powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention, becoming the first transgender person to speak at a major political convention. In his memories of 2018, Tomorrow Will Be Different, McBride describes her personal struggles and triumphs as a transgender woman, chronicling her journey towards self-acceptance and the fight for transgender rights.

“If there’s one thing I can contribute to the House beyond concrete policies, and I know people may not expect it, it’s that I want to help lower the temperature,” McBride says. “I want to model what it means to be an active citizen for this country, which is having conversations about disagreements and differences.” “Our democracy only works when we are willing to engage and maintain connections with each other, and I know that is hard to do right now… I hope to be a part of healing and building bridges across the divides in our politics.”

Write to: Nik Popli at [email protected].