When there are no battles left for McBride to pick
I have fundamental disagreements with how Sarah McBride responded to the attacks against her and other transgender people in Congress, and I disagree strongly with Jakob's post about that. The only good defence I can think of, for McBride's compliance, is that she must be seen to be primarily focussed on dealing with the economic fallout of the Trump administration. The Democrat party itself, which is already accused to have focussed too much on identity politics, is in that position also.
Nobody should be told to 'shut the fuck up' about it, if they're not transgender, as Jakob demands. All decisions made by elected politicians and representatives are fair game for criticism, because those decisions often have very real consequences for many people. Moreover, the situation McBride faces is a foreshadowing of what minorities in the United States and Britain can expect when Trump occupies the White House.
Here in Britain, the attacks on transgender rights are more complex, more subtle and more reliant on interpretations of existing laws, but nevertheless influenced by American lobby groups. How do we deal with that? Is there a strategy we can agree on, and tactics we can share to protect our rights?
Contrary to what Jakob thinks, McBride's position really isn't that unique. Everyone in a position of authority has a responsibility to challenge the kind of behaviour Nancy Mace engages in. I've seen what happens in a public institution after people realised they could get away, unchallenged, with bullying and discrimination, and it gets worse for all minorities. Sure, McBride might keep her head down and tell herself she's 'picking her battles', while bullying and discrimination become institutional. The thing is there are no battles to pick after that point, because nobody else would put their own jobs on the line by going against the system to defend trans rights.
The attacks against McBride and other transgender people in congress will only escalate. The Republicans will resort to underhand methods of getting her removed from office. If they can't find anything incriminating, they'll make shit up.