Overview

• In a New York Times interview with Ezra Klein, Rep. Sarah McBride acknowledged that Democrats advanced transgender rights beyond the level at which most Americans understood those issues.
• McBride criticized the party’s absolutist stance on trans and broader progressive policies for eroding its connection with public opinion.
• She warned that perceived cultural aggression around inclusion fueled a backlash that Republicans exploited to rally voters.
• McBride recommended a pragmatic strategy of negotiating with public sentiment instead of treating voters like adversaries.
• The first transgender member of Congress endorsed a libertarian approach of reducing government involvement to let individuals and families shape their own decisions.