Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., told the New York Times on Tuesday that the Democratic Party may have overplayed their hand with regard to trans issues during the 2024 election cycle.
McBride, the first transgender representative who was elected to Congress in 2024, spoke to The New York Times’ Ezra Klein about where the Democratic Party went wrong on transgender issues and how they should approach winning back the public.
“I think that’s an accurate reflection of the overplaying of the hand in some ways — that we as a coalition went to Trans 201, Trans 301, when people were still at a very much Trans 101 stage,” McBride said.
McBride suggested that the trans movement caused a perceived cultural aggression that allowed the GOP to say, “We’re punishing trans people because of their actions. Rather than: We’re going after innocent bystanders.”
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“And I think some of the cultural mores and norms that started to develop around inclusion of trans people were probably premature for a lot of people. We became absolutist — not just on trans rights but across the progressive movement — and we forgot that in a democracy we have to grapple with where the public authentically is and actually engage with it. Part of this is fostered by social media,” the Delaware lawmaker said.
McBride argued that progressives pushed for every single perfect policy and cultural norm without keeping public opinion in mind.
“We decided that we now have to say and fight for and push for every single perfect policy and cultural norm right now, regardless of whether the public is ready. And I think it misunderstands the role that politicians and, frankly, social movements have in maintaining proximity to public opinion, of walking people to a place,” McBride told the NYT.
The Democratic lawmaker cautioned the party not to get too far ahead of public opinion and said they lose their grip on it if they do.
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“And I think a lot of the conversations around sports and also some of the cultural changes that we saw in expected workplace behavior, etc. was the byproduct of maybe just getting too far out ahead and not actually engaging in the art of social change-making,” McBride continued.
McBride said in November that the GOP’s focus on countering trans issues was a “distraction.”
“I think we are all united that attempts to attack a vulnerable community are not only mean-spirited, but really an attempt to misdirect. Because every single time we hear the incoming administration or Republicans in Congress talk about any vulnerable group in this country, we have to be clear that it is an attempt to distract,” McBride said during an interview last year with CBS.
The lawmaker was surprised by Republicans prioritizing efforts to keep transgender athletes out of girls’ sports, according to a January 2025 interview.
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“I’ve had conversations with colleagues about many of the bills that are coming before us and certainly have heard from some colleagues who, like me, are mystified that this is a priority for a Republican conference that is entering a Republican trifecta, that this is an issue that they prioritize,” McBride said.
McBride noted during the interview with Klein that the transgender movement needed to negotiate with public opinion, and that they shouldn’t treat the public like Republican politicians.
“When you recognize that distinction, I think it allows for a pragmatic approach that has, in my mind, the best possible chance of shifting public opinion as quickly as possible. It would be one thing if screaming about how dangerous this is right now had the effect of stopping these attacks, but it won’t,” McBride said.
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