‘A bounty on my head’: First transgender member of Congress faces the Trump era

Rep. Sarah McBride, a Delaware Democrat and the first openly transgender member of Congress, realized shortly after winning her race that going to the bathroom on Capitol Hill was going to be a problem in her new job.

“The more I thought about it, the more I realized it wouldn’t be safe for me to use the bathroom,” she said over coffee Monday, after attending President Trump’s inauguration.

That morning, she sat idly in the Capitol rotunda as Mr. Trump received a standing ovation for declaring that “there are only two genders: male and female.” On her way out, Ms. McBride ended up walking next to Pete Hegseth, the embattled candidate for secretary of defense who has spoken out against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military.

“Surreal,” was all she had to say about it.

But these awkward interactions are a reminder of the complicated position Ms. McBride occupies in Washington. She entered Congress as the representative of a small and vulnerable population, at a time when LGBTQ rights are under attack and Republicans, who now hold a governing trio, see political gains to be made in rolling back the rights of transgender people. particular.

That has already given Ms. McBride more attention than an average freshman minority lawmaker — and prompted her to be very careful about when and how she uses her singular position.

Two months ago, when Ms. McBride came to Washington for a congressional orientation session and had not yet been sworn in, Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, saw an opening and marked its arrival by introducing a measure banning transgender people from using women’s toilets. and locker rooms in the Capitol complex.