Topline
A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing was suddenly adjourned Tuesday after Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, introduced Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., a transgender woman, as a man, provoking a sarcastic response from McBride and a loud challenge from ranking committee member Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass.
Key Facts
Self referred to McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, as “Mr. McBride,” to which McBride said, “Thank you, madam chair.”
McBride began speaking and was interrupted by Keating, who asked Self to repeat his instruction and what he said when he introduced McBride.
Self then addressed McBride as “mister” again and was characterized as “out of order” by Keating, who asked “have you no decency?”
“I’ve come to know you a little bit but this is not decent,” Keating told Self, who insisted on continuing the meeting before Keating raised his voice and said, “You will not continue it with me unless you introduce a duly elected representative the right way.”
Self adjourned the meeting after being challenged and later defended himself on social media, referring to a policy change made by the Trump administration that calls for the U.S. to only recognize the sexes of male and female.
McBride did not directly acknowledge the exchange on social media, saying in a tweet, “Now that I have your attention… Our economy is tanking because of Trump’s tariffs,” reposting a New York Times infographic about Monday’s stock market selloff.
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Who Is Sarah Mcbride?
McBride, 34, won Delaware’s at-large seat in the House last year, becoming Congress’ first openly transgender member, as the Trump administration came into power and rolled back protections for transgender people and gender-affirming care. She served as a Delaware state senator from 2020-2025 after previously working for former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and then-Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, former President Joe Biden’s late son, according to her official House website. McBride is Delaware’s sole representative in the House, succeeding Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., who won election to the Senate last year.
Key Background
Not long after her election, McBride was banned from using women’s restrooms at the U.S. Capitol under a new rule spearheaded by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who said she was “not going to stand for a man.” McBride called the effort behind the ban a “blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.”
Further Reading
Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed At Barring Gender Transitions For People Under 19 (Forbes)