Sarah McBride was watching CNN on mute at her parents’ house on Nov. 7 when suddenly the screen flashed a message she’d been longing to see: her friend and fellow Delawarian, Joe Biden, had just been declared the next president of the United States.
“I felt, first and foremost, a huge sense of relief,” said McBride, who in years past had worked for Biden’s late son, Beau Biden. “Finally, a leader with compassion for all people.”
Days before, McBride had celebrated her own victory. On Election Night, she made history as the first transgender woman state senator, representing Delaware’s First State Senate District as America’s newest LGBTQ lawmaker.
McBride and other LGBTQ leaders are hopeful Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who hails from the gay history-rich San Francisco Bay Area, represent a chance for them to be accepted and protected after four years of their civil rights being threatened by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Over the past four years, anti-LGBTQ actions by the current leadership have included the Department of Labor granting contractor’s the right to ignore federal anti-discrimination laws if they conflict with religious beliefs, the Department of Defense banning trans individuals from serving in the military and the Department of Education drastically scaling back civil rights protections for LGBTQ students.
And while then-candidate Trump made a point of unfurling a rainbow flag during a fall 2016 campaign stop in Colorado, as president he has appointed many conservative judges that many LGBTQ leaders say could undo civil rights gains and reverse health care protections.
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Source: USA Today
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