- My name is Sarah McBride
and I am a proud transgender American.
(applause)
My name's Sarah McBride.
I'm the National Press Secretary
at the Human Rights Campaign,
the nation's largest LGBTQ
civil rights organization.
After coming out as
transgender while in college,
I applied for and was eventually accepted
into an internship in
the Obama White House.
And it was truly one of the
most incredible experiences
for me to walk into the White House
as my authentic self.
Even as an intern, I saw that my presence
and the presence of
other transgender people
changed the way staffers
and administration officials
talked about transgender equality.
Because at the end of the day
an issue can no longer be abstract to you
if you're walking the halls
or sitting across the conference table
from a person impacted
by those challenges.
There was no question that
the Obama Biden administration
was supportive of transgender
equality from the start.
But in the second term,
we saw a degree of confidence and passion
for trans equality that we had never seen
by any administration in American history.
And that was because that White House
got to know transgender people.
They got to see us in our full humanity.
They got to see us and understand
that our issues aren't some luxury issue
that you focus on once
you deal with others.
These are life and death
issues for the trans community.
Now in the five years since
I interned at the White House
we've gone from a presidency of progress
to a presidency of prejudice.
Donald Trump and Mike Pence
have governed the exact
same way they campaigned,
with bigotry and with bluster.
Despite Donald Trump
claiming that he would
be a friend to the LGBTQ
community as President,
we've seen the exact opposite
from his administration.
Just a few months after taking office,
they rescinded life-saving guidance
promoting the protection
of transgender students.
They've appointed anti-equality extremists
to administration positions
on the federal bench.
They've granted a sweeping license
to discriminate to government workers,
federal contractors, and
health care providers
against LGBTQ people.
And in one of his most shameful moves yet,
the President, the commander in chief,
targeted our own troops for
his hate and discrimination
with an unconstitutional dangerous
and discriminatory ban
on openly transgender service members.
It's a reminder that our progress,
our march toward a more perfect union,
is never linear.
Equality often comes in fits and starts
but we've seen over the long course,
over the long arch of history,
that we do move forward.
That no presidency can stand in our way
or halt the momentum of our movement.
That our voices are more powerful
than a single politician.
And that's why, even with
Donald Trump in the White House,
even with Mike Pence as Vice President,
even with anti-equality politicians
and far too many state legislators,
we continue to open hearts, change minds,
and move equality forward.
We must never forget
that change trickles up.
That change will come not just from laws,
but from hearts, minds,
policies and practices,
and more and more people saying that,
"If my child were to
come out as transgender,
"the world that I'd want them to encounter
"is a world of kindness,
love and inclusion."
