Trans lawmaker Rep. Sarah McBride has called out Republicans for treating politics like “a Bravo TV show”. 

On a Sunday (20 April) episode of Pod Save America, Congresswoman McBride addressed the expectations of being the first-ever out trans member of Congress, especially during such a trying time for the trans and non-binary community. 

“I entered within a perfect storm on these issues,” she said of the Trump-Vance administration’s constant attack on the trans community. 

“I’ll start by saying I’m not always going to get it right…If I am the topic, then it is my job to make the people who are trying to make me the topic seem small,” McBride explained. “If my constituents who are trans are the topic, then I’ll fight back.”

The Delaware Rep. shed light on the reasons she believes that Republican representatives continue “going after” trans folks.

“Some of my colleagues are treating me the way they’re treating me for a couple of reasons. One, it’s because they want attention, right?

“They want to employ the strategies of a Bravo TV show to get attention in a body of 435 people. And the way to do that is to pick a fight with someone and throw wine in their face.” Bravo TV produces reality shows, including The Real Housewives franchise and Vanderpump Rules.

However, McBride said she is cautious with the way she responds. “I’m giving them what they want when I respond in a way that might feel viscerally comforting to me and the community,” she said. “My power is not giving them that.”

Her ability to “fight smart” was seen last month, when a chairman was confronted for purposefully misgendering McBride. Calling on McBride to speak, Keith Self said he recognised the “gentleman from Delaware” and wrongly referred to her as “Mr McBride.” 

She calmly responded in kind, saying, “Thank you, Madame chair.”

Another instance saw GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert reportedly wrongly accusing a cisgender woman of being McBride when trying to use the woman’s bathroom on the Capitol House floor. 

“They ran into the restroom, and then apparently a couple of seconds later, sheepishly walked out because they thought this woman was me,” McBride said. “There is one trans person in Congress. They cannot even police the one bathroom off the floor with the one trans person in Congress correctly.”

McBride added that such anti-trans laws will also impact cisgender people. 

“We are already seeing the very predictable consequences of this particularly inflamed moment,” McBride said, referencing a cis woman who was recently allegedly fired after a customer wrongly accused her of being trans. 

“Apparently, if you have shoulder-length hair and glasses, you’re told you don’t belong in the women’s restroom under their regime.”

If this story has affected you, call the Trans Lifeline Hotline to speak to a trans/nonbinary peer operator with full anonymity and confidentiality at (877) 565-8860. Support is available Monday-Friday, 10 AM – 6 PM Pacific, 11 AM – 7 PM Mountain, 12 PM – 8 PM Central, and 1 PM – 9 PM Eastern. 

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