WILMINGTON, Delaware (WPVI) Delaware Senator Sarah McBride became a first on Tuesday when she took the oath in Claymont. She s the country s first openly transgender state senator and the highest-ranking transgender elected official in the nation. As I reflect on the journey till today I am reminded of the change that it reflects: that we are a community and a country that has continuously opened our hearts and changed our minds and increasingly judged people on their skills and talents not on their identities, McBride said.
McBride s swearing-in ceremony sheds light that while 4.5% of adults identify as LGBTQ in the US, according to the Victory Institute, less than 1% are elected officials.
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Longtime activist Sarah McBride was sworn into the Delaware state Senate on Tuesday, making history twice over. In addition to being the first out transgender woman seated in the upper house of a stateâs legislature, McBride is now the highest-ranking trans official in the entire United States.
In an outdoor, socially distant ceremony held at the Claymont Community Center outside of McBrideâs hometown of Wilmington, the 30-year-old was officially sworn into office. She was joined by family, friends, and fellow trans advocates.
The site had a personal significance for McBride, who noted in a tweet thread that the location was formerly home to Claymont High School, which she said was âthe first high school in a segregated state to be legally integrated.â âThe story of this building represents two enduring truths: that we can change and that we share a neighborly duty to care,â she wrote.
History was made Tuesday afternoon in Delaware as the country's first openly transgender state senator was sworn in. Sen. Sarah McBride was elected to represent the state's First District.