“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms.”

Read those words and savor them. They may be the most statespersonlike words you hear from a politician anytime soon.

Representative Sarah Elizabeth McBride of Delaware is being sworn in today, and by doing so, she becomes the first openly transgender person to serve in the United States Congress.

Rep. Sarah McBride (D) Delaware

Most Americans probably know McBride as being the focus of fellow Representative Nancy Mace's humiliating stunt to ban McBride from using the women's restrooms in the U.S. Capitol Building. House Speaker, Mike Johnson, supported his Republican colleague and declared that "restroom usage would be determined by “biological sex.” He made this statement on November 20th, the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Either Johnson had a change of heart, or he determined the political capital that came from such a ban was simply not worth the ensuing bad publicity, but the proposed restroom ban was left out of the rules package resolution he put forth to this session of the House of Representatives.

For her part, Representative McBride has taken the high road, refusing to engage Mace in a war of words.

"There is so much joy and so much awe in having this opportunity, and I will not let anyone take that away from me,” McBride told The Associated Press. “I am simply there to do the job just like anyone else.”

Such comity and grace is rare in any political arena nowadays, but it is especially remarkable coming from someone whose every action will be scrutinized and glaringly analyzed as a member of a tiny, beleaguered minority.

I've been trying to secure an interview with Rep. McBride since her election and to this point have not been able to do so. I really hope I can, though. She is not only a shining example for our community, but she is a personal hero of mine.

Her election may be viewed as one small step along a long path of acceptance and representation for the transgender community, but it also looms large as an unparalleled example of individual bravery and perseverance for us all.

--- 𝓐𝓷𝓷𝓲 🏳️‍⚧️