Sarah McBride and the 'fierce urgency of now' in LGBTQ advocacy
Mashable celebrates Pride all year long and honors Pride Month in June by exploring and championing the modern LGBTQ world in all its glorious queerness — including the leaders, conversations, and spaces, both online and off, making up a community that embraces and continues to fight for the freedom to thrive as our most authentic selves.
Every day of Pride Month, Mashable will be sharing illuminating conversations with members of the LGBTQ community who are making history right now.
The anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ actions and policies enacted during the Trump administration make it hard to conceptualize at times that the tides are slowly turning in Washington. Every day we see more evidence of a culture shifting and expanding the political voices of LGBTQ individuals in public policy. Sarah McBride is living proof of this change.
McBride first made national headlines when she publicly came out as transgender toward the end of her term as student body president at American University. Just a year later, she was in the Obama administration's White House, the first openly trans woman to hold a prestigious internship there.
In the years that followed, McBride rose to become one of the nation's most prominent trans activists, advocating for legislative protections on gender identity discrimination and addressing the nation amid a heated presidential race. In 2016, she became the first trans woman to speak at a major political convention at the Democratic National Convention. She now serves as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.
But the road to becoming a public figure in the fight for LGBTQ equality wasn't quite so simple. During her time in the White House, McBride met and married Andrew Clay, a trans man and fellow activist. Just days after their wedding, he passed away from a terminal cancer. On her website, McBride describes how his passing "instilled in [her] a firm belief in the urgency of political and social change."
The political voices in Washington are changing — but not fast enough. We must all feel, as McBride says, "a fierce urgency of now" in LGBTQ advocacy.
The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.
Mashable: How has your identity informed your work?
Sarah McBride: As a transgender woman and LGBTQ advocate, I am keenly aware that the political is personal. When we are talking about violence against transgender people, the need for non-discrimination protections, and ending HIV in this generation, we are not talking about abstract issues, we are talking about real people.
I am also reminded that I come to this work with a great deal of privilege that shields me from some of the worst discrimination and violence that comes the LGBTQ community's way. As difficult as it is to watch politicians and anti-equality activists attack the rights of LGBTQ people, I know the impact is far more dangerous for so many LGBTQ people [besides me]. We must all feel the "fierce urgency of now" in our work — recognizing that every day our society asks LGBTQ people to sit back and allow for a slow conversation to take place, we are asking people to watch their one life pass by without the dignity and fairness that every person deserves.
Mashable: What impact do you think you've had on the community?
SM: The best that any of us can hope for is that we contribute our part to the story of our communities and movements. My hope is that I've contributed to a deepening understanding of the humanity of transgender people. It's for others to make that judgment, though.
Mashable: What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the community right now?
SM: It's difficult to prioritize challenges as there are both so many and they all intersect so deeply. The epidemic of violence that targets the transgender community — particularly transgender women of color — is an urgent crisis. The fact that LGBTQ people still lack clear protections from discrimination in most places in the United States is dangerous. From economic insecurity and access to health care to violence and homelessness, the factors in these challenges overlap and the impacts of these challenges contribute to each other. We need progress on all fronts.
Mashable: What does "Pride" mean to you?
SM: Pride means resistance to the forces of hate. Pride means action. Pride means hope. While we rightly celebrate ourselves and our community, we must never forget that pride is and must always be about the unfinished work of justice.
Mashable: This year is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Where do you hope the community will stand in society in 50 years?
SM: One of the legacies of Stonewall is of people fighting alongside one another across gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, and class. My hope is that in 50 years, we will more fully live out that legacy in both our community and movement.
There is no finish line for our movement. It may look different. The priorities may change as progress is made. But there will always be more to do — 50 years from now, 100 years from now, and beyond.
Read more great Pride Month stories:
Explore Stonewall National Monument's digital makeover and add your own story
This young activist is fighting to keep LGBTQ youth safe from bullying
Sage is the newest Culture writer on the block at Mashable NYC. They recently graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, and have previously worked for The Dr. Oz Show, NorthSouth Productions, and on Netflix's 'The OA Part II'. Off the clock, they can be found testing out cupcake recipes, collecting dolls, and watching Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure for the millionth time.
