Facing mounting political backlash and growing public fatigue, a high-profile Democrat is urging his party to reevaluate its aggressive push on “trans” issues.
Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), who made history in 2024 as the first openly trans-identifying person elected to Congress, is now calling for a reset, warning that Democrats may have gone too far.
In a recent interview with The New York Times’ Ezra Klein, McBride acknowledged that the progressive movement advanced too far, too fast, without bringing the public along.
“We as a coalition went to Trans 201, Trans 301, when people were still at a very much Trans 101 stage,” he explained.
According to McBride, the party’s absolutist stance on “trans” policies and broader progressive ideals may have alienated key segments of the electorate.
He argued that the movement’s pursuit of “every single perfect policy and cultural norm” failed to account for where the public truly stands.
“It misunderstands the role that politicians and, frankly, social movements have in maintaining proximity to public opinion, of walking people to a place,” McBride said.
He pointed to what he called a sense of “cultural aggression” that developed around “trans” advocacy, suggesting that it allowed Republicans to present themselves as reacting to extremism rather than instigating conflict.
“We’re punishing trans people because of their actions. Rather than: We’re going after innocent bystanders,” McBride said of how GOP messaging has reframed the debate.
The freshman congressman also leveled broader criticism at the progressive movement, saying, “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.”
These comments mark a notable shift from McBride’s previous public stance.
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