Three newly elected lawmakers representing the LGBTQ community will make history Friday when they are sworn into the 119th Congress, marking multiple firsts in the House of Representatives.
Sarah McBride becomes the first openly transgender member of Congress. She will represent Delaware’s only congressional district in the House of Representatives after more than three years in the state Senate, marking a historic first for trans representation at the state Senate level.
Representative-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE) poses for a photograph after joining other congressional alumni of the 119th Congress for a group photo on the steps of the House of Representatives in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, November 15, 2024 .
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Set to be the first LGBTQ+ member of Congress from the South, Julie Johnson had served in the Texas State Legislature since 2018. In her campaign for the congressional seat, she touted her record of fighting anti-LGBTQ bills at the state level among her passions as a legislator.
Emily Randall becomes the first LGBTQ Latina in Congress after serving as a Washington state senator since 2018.
Representative Emily Randall (D-WA) poses for a photograph after joining other congressional alumni of the 119th Congress for a group photo on the steps of the House of Representatives in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, November 15, 2024.
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Rep.-elect Julie Johnson, D-Texas, poses for a photo on the steps of the House of Representatives in the Capitol Building after first-year members of Congress take their class photo in Washington, DC, on November 15, 2024.
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The 118th Congress set the record for having the most LGBTQ representation in US history, with 13 lawmakers openly identifying as gay, lesbian or bisexual. This year’s list of members to be sworn in comes as the country sees growing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and violence.
In the 2024 state legislative session, the ACLU tracked more than 500 bills it says are “anti-LGBTQ.” Transgender people — who make up less than 1% of Americans over the age of 13, according to UCLA’s research organization, the Williams Institute — have been particularly targeted by such legislation, including restrictions on bathroom use for transgender residents, bans on gender-affirming care and more.
In recent years, federal and local authorities have warned of the rise in violence against the LGBTQ community.
McBride has received backlash from some colleagues ahead of his swearing-in. The Republican Rep. Nancy Mace introduced a bill in November to restrict transgender women’s access to women’s restrooms at the US Capitol, saying the bill was “absolutely” in response to McBride’s entry into Congress. She cited concerns about her safety in restrooms, to which McBride responded by calling the bill a distraction. The bill is now dead.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said transgender women cannot use women’s restrooms, locker rooms or locker rooms in the Capitol and House office buildings. As for how Johnson plans to enforce this policy, it’s not entirely clear if he’s re-elected speaker, but the speaker has “general control” of the facilities, according to House rules.
McBride responded to the order by saying, “I’m not here to fight for bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to lower the costs that families face. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by the speaker Johnson, although I disagree with them.
LGBTQ groups have applauded the incoming lawmakers “as the fight for equality and justice faces unprecedented opposition,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement to ABC News.
“The American people deserve a bold vision for our country, one led by champions who bring experiences to the table that have often gone unheard,” Robinson said in the statement. “They have proven themselves to be leaders through their lived examples and their careers in advancing equality and civil rights. That’s why we were proud to mobilize our grassroots forces last year to support them in their races so that every LGBTQ+ American know they have a voice in Washington.”
