1 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephan 2 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: never told your production by her yo. 3 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 2: And today let me put this date here, December third, 4 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 2: twenty twenty four. We are talking about someone who's been 5 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 2: on a lot of people's minds and really has had 6 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 2: people talking though she doesn't even know a lot of 7 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 2: other people don't exist, like she doesn't know you. 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 3: And yet we're talking about her. 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 2: And yes, we're talking about newly elected Congresswoman Sarah McBride. 10 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 2: Of course, with all of the transphobic rhetoric to happening today, 11 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 2: she has been the topic of a lot of conversation recently. 12 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,840 Speaker 2: She has been the main focus for some other members 13 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 2: of Congress who've made it their biggest job, which is 14 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 2: odd because there's a lot happening to make sure she 15 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 2: feels unwelcome, and about her bathroom music, because you know, 16 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 2: that's the most important thing happening here. But before we 17 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 2: dive into that, we want to take a look at 18 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 2: McBride's work and record as a feature of The Activist 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 2: around the World. Fyi, this has become a two parter, 20 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 2: so yes, we're going to kind of split about what 21 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 2: is happening, how she got here, and what is happening today, 22 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 2: and then we're going to talk about the reaction, because 23 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 2: there's a lot of comments happening specifically from the trans 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 2: community rightly so, so we do want to reflect on 25 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 2: that for those in the trans community, for those in 26 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 2: the queer community. Content warning. Obviously we're going to talk 27 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 2: about anti queer rhetoric and conversation, anti trans rhetoric and conversations. 28 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 3: So this is a bit much. 29 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 2: I understand, but we also do want to take moments 30 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 2: to celebrate a woman who has worked really hard to 31 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 2: get to where she is and felt that it's important 32 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 2: that she does it as her true self, which I 33 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 2: think is a bigger conversation we don't talk about enough 34 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 2: because instead the world is awful. 35 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,680 Speaker 3: Anyway, here we go, let's go into it. 36 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 2: So who is Sarah mc McBride has stated she has 37 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 2: always had an interest in politics. Born to David and 38 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 2: Sally McBride in Wilmington, Delaware, McBride isn't a stranger to 39 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 2: policies and standards in general. Her father was a lawyer 40 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 2: while her mother was a counselor, and she actually the 41 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 2: founder of Cabot Callaway School of the Arts, which Sarah 42 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 2: did attend. She soon earned her bachelor's in twenty thirteen 43 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 2: from American University of DC, and is during this time 44 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 2: McBride talks about how her interest in politics really grew. 45 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,119 Speaker 2: She had already worked as a staffer for different Delaware campaigns, 46 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 2: including for Governor Jack Markle Attorney General Bo Biden, and 47 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 2: she would soon after be elected as the student body 48 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 2: president at American University. And it was during this time 49 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 2: that McBride came out as trans, and even then she 50 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 2: was getting attention just for existing and coming out. She 51 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: made headlines in twenty twelve coming out, and within the 52 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 2: same year she was the first trans woman to work 53 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 2: in the world White House as an intern for the 54 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 2: Obama administration. But as we said, her coming out was 55 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 2: on public display. Here's a bit from her Wikipedia page. 56 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 2: McBride's coming out was featured on NPR, the Huffington Post, 57 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 2: and by Lady Guga's Born This Way Foundation. That's an 58 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 2: interesting added to the other two, but hey, that's interesting. 59 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 2: After coming out, McBride received a call from Delaware Attorney 60 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 2: General Bo Biden saying, quote, Sarah, I just wanted you 61 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 2: to know I'm so proud of you. 62 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 3: I love you. 63 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 2: And you're still a part of the Biden family. Vice 64 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 2: President now President Joe Biden expressed similar sentiments, sharing that 65 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 2: he was proud of her and happy for her. So 66 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 2: definitely already has that link. Has been doing this work 67 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 2: for a minute. So one of those moments where I'm like, man, 68 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 2: you did a lot. What was I doing in twenty thirteen? 69 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 2: I was working for the government. I was working for 70 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 2: the government, just not on that level. 71 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 3: Important as well. You were working for feminist content. We 72 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 3: were doing things. We were doing. 73 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 2: So as an intern, McBride was hard at work advocating 74 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 2: for LGBTQ rights and issues, and she was praised for 75 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 2: her work during her time there. She has acknowledged the 76 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 2: difficulties in coming out. Here's what she published in her 77 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 2: coming out article for the university paper. She writes, I 78 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 2: wrestled with the idea that my dream and my identity 79 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 2: seemed mutually exclusive. I had to pick my life was 80 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 2: passing me by, and I was done wasting it as 81 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 2: someone I wasn't. I'm sure that article was really impactful 82 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 2: as well as very hard to write. From what I 83 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 2: read that it was really moving and touching in the 84 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 2: words that she printed and doing so as a public 85 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 2: figure I couldn't imagine, and becoming her true self propelled 86 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 2: her forward in her activism as well. In twenty thirteen, 87 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 2: McBride was a part of the board of directors of 88 00:04:56,279 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 2: Equality Delaware, advocating for legal protection for the trends queer community, 89 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 2: and soon she helped pass legislation to help prevent discrimination 90 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,120 Speaker 2: based on gender in twenty thirteen in the state of Delaware. 91 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 2: After her success with this legislation, she worked with the 92 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 2: Center of American Progress to advocate for the rights and 93 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 2: protection of the LGBTQ plus community as well. And of course, 94 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 2: during all of this time, she was still heavily involved 95 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 2: in the political world, including speaking at the twenty sixteen 96 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:28,280 Speaker 2: Democratic National Convention during Hillary Clinton's campaign. In the speech, 97 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 2: she paid tribute to her late husband, Andrew Cray, who 98 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 2: was also an activist for the queer community, and though 99 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 2: her husband died a few days after their official wedding, 100 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 2: she has talked openly about the amount of impact Cray 101 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 2: has had on her life, as well as the support 102 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 2: she had from him. 103 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: And with all that, in twenty nineteen, McBride decided to 104 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: step into the political arena herself and ran for Delaware Senate, 105 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: and in twenty twenty, McBride made history as the first 106 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: trans person to be a state senator in the United States. 107 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: Here's a bit from her website, Sarah McBride dot com quote. 108 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: As a state senator, McBride has passed legislation expanding access 109 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: to healthcare, requiring mental health and media literacy education in 110 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 1: public schools, promoting green technologies, preventing lead poisoning and youth, 111 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: and protecting workers and families. In just her first term, 112 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: McBride passed the landmark Healthy Delaware Families Act, providing paid 113 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: family and medical leave to workers throughout the first state, 114 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: and marking the largest expansion of Delaware's social safety net 115 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:40,480 Speaker 1: in decades. 116 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 2: So with all of that under her belt, she has 117 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 2: now been elected as the first transperson in the United 118 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 2: States House of Representatives. She announced her intention to run 119 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty three to replace Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester. 120 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 2: She was actually endorsed by Rochester and in the twenty 121 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 2: twenty four election she won against John wayland IID. Here's 122 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:07,480 Speaker 2: a bit about her win from NBC News. McBride's key 123 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 2: priorities for her congressional run were expanding access to affordable healthcare, 124 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 2: protecting reproductive rights, and increasing the minimum wage. She told 125 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 2: NBC News in September that her goal in Congress was 126 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 2: to work with her colleagues to break through the artisan 127 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: gridlock and actually pass legislation, which she became known for 128 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 2: during her time in Delaware's Senate. During her first term, 129 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 2: she helped pass universal paid family and medical leaf across 130 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 2: the state. So pretty big things. Of course, this is 131 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 2: just very minor details that she's done. There's a lot 132 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 2: of impact that she has had within the Delaware Senate, 133 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 2: which is why she was able to be elected. And 134 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 2: the article continues with a statement she made at her celebration. Quote, 135 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 2: tonight is a testament to Delawareans that here in our 136 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 2: state of neighbors, we judge candidates based on their ideas 137 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 2: and not their identities, McBride said at Delaware's Democratic election 138 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 2: Night celebration Tuesday night. She thanks her friends and family 139 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 2: and her late husband, Andy Cray, who died of cancer 140 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,960 Speaker 2: in twenty fourteen, just days after their wedding. Quote, My 141 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 2: time with Andy reinforced for me a simple truth that 142 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 2: hope as an emotion, hope as a phenomenon, only makes 143 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 2: sense in the face of hardship, while at the moment 144 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 2: in America's history, hope sometimes feel hard to come by. 145 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 2: We must never forget that we are the beneficiaries of 146 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 2: seemingly impossible change, which I wish we could just end 147 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 2: it there. You know, that's such a great speech. We 148 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 2: get to make history, you get to move on and celebrate. 149 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 2: But of course with her celebration comes controversy, as she 150 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,679 Speaker 2: started her journey with an orientation. Of course, conservative lawmakers 151 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 2: have made their biases known pretty quickly. Here's some information 152 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 2: from The Advocate. Just over two weeks after her historical 153 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 2: election as the first out transgender member of Congress, Delaware 154 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 2: Democratic Representative elect Sarah McBride is facing backline from the 155 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 2: members of the trans community over her response to Republicans 156 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 2: Speaker Mike Johnson's policy banning transgender people from using restrooms 157 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 2: aligned with their gender identity and house controlled facilities in Washington, 158 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 2: d C. 159 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, and a bit more from the New Yorker quote. 160 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: As the first transgender member of Congress and history, she 161 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: also experienced an orientation in naked aggression within days of 162 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: her arrival. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, introduced 163 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: a resolution that would restrict access to all single sex 164 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: facilities on Capitol Hill to those of the corresponding biological sex. 165 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: In other words, May sought a bathroom bill and made 166 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: clear that she absolutely intended it as a reaction to McBride. 167 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: I'm not going to stand for a man, you know, 168 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: someone with a penis in the woman's locker room. May said, 169 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: who had claimed to be pro transgender rights as recently 170 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: as last year, said of her new proposals, so added 171 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 1: an odd pseudo feminist twist, it's offensive that a man 172 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: in a skirt thinks that he's my equal. Mace found 173 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: support among Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Marjorie Taylor Green, who, 174 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 1: according to Politico, told colleagues that she would fight McBride 175 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: or the two of them ever to meet in a 176 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: woman's bathroom on the Hill. 177 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 3: So professional, Yeah, it's so professional. I'm gonna fight you 178 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 3: because you exist. Really, wow, Anya. 179 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 2: Obviously that rhetoric that May said would be what we 180 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 2: talk about as terse that twist feminist twist. 181 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 3: I'll love how they said that instead. 182 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 2: I mean, it's true, I guess, And disappointingly, not many 183 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 2: of McBride's co workers have stood up for her or 184 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 2: for trans people with this specific issue. However, Alexandria Accassio 185 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 2: Cortez AOC was one of the few who did who 186 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:57,079 Speaker 2: called the bill disgusting of course, so there's a lot 187 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 2: more to be said. We want to come back and 188 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:00,959 Speaker 2: talk about McBride's reaction to this, as well as a 189 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 2: lot of the trans community and the queer community, because 190 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:09,559 Speaker 2: it unfolds a lot. So it's not our typical way 191 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 2: of doing things here at the Activist around the world, 192 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 2: but I think it is important that we look at 193 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 2: this conversation on a deeper level because it does impact 194 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:23,079 Speaker 2: so many. This has a lot of implication. Unfortunately for McBride, 195 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 2: she's kind of become a talking head, I guess for 196 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 2: the transgender community as a leader. 197 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 3: It would be lovely if we could. 198 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 2: Just say she made it there and we're excited, and 199 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 2: yes she has some hiccups, but not that many, and 200 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 2: we're cool with it, and everybody is advocating and supporting her. 201 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 3: But that's not the case. 202 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 2: So we're going to take a pause this week and 203 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 2: come back for the following week as a part two 204 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 2: about the reactions to McBride and this bathroom banning bill. 205 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, so keep an ear out for that. But 206 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: in the meantime, if you want to contact us you can. 207 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: You can email us a Stephania mom Stuff atiheartmedia dot com. 208 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast, 209 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 1: or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff When Never Told You. 210 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: We're also on YouTube. We have a tea public store, 211 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: and we have a book you can get wherever you 212 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 1: get your books. Thanks as always to our super producer Christina, 213 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: our executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey. 214 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 3: Thank you and thanks to you for. 215 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: Listening Steffan Never Told You his production of iHeartRadio. 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