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Feminists Around the World: Sarah McBride, Part 2 · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha, and welcome to stuff.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: We never told your prediction if I heard you.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: And we are back with the part two about the
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: controversy with Representative elect McBride. We just talked about her
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: accomplishments and how she got here, and we did bring
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: up the fact that there is a controversy in which
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Representative Mace was saying that they would be uncomfortable with
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: the transperson in the bathroom, and so therefore they all
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: went ahead and made a bill saying that you have
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: to go to where you are a sign essentially, and
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: not where you are identify as So I did want
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: to come back and talk about her reactions, some of
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: the community's reactions, and just kind of where we are today.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Putting a timestamp here it is still December third. Because
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: we did this as a part, there was a lot
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: as well as the fact that there's a content learning
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: anti trans rhetoric, anti queer rhetoric. It's a lot a
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: lot of politics, you know. But jumping back in, McBride
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: did talk with The New Yorker about all of this
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: that was happening, and she said, I always knew there
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: would be some members of the Republican Caucus who would
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: seek to use my service representing the greater state in
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: the Union in Congress as an opportunity for them to
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: distract from the fact that they have absolutely no real
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: policy solutions for the issues that actually plagued this country,
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: and in some cases, to grab headlines themselves. I was
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: not surprised that there was an effort to politicize an
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: issue that no one truly cares about, what bathroom I use.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: I did think it might wait until January. It happened
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: a little earlier than I anticipated. I was still getting
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: lost in the tunnels of the Capitol when we got
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: the news that this was coming, and yeah, and she
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: continued about how she reacted, saying, here we go. Throughout
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: the camp I really focused my campaign on my record
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: in the Delaware General Assembly of passing paid leave, expanding
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: access to healthcare, and the kitchen table, issues that I
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: know keep voters across Delaware up at night that I
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: will be working on in Congress, like lowering the cost
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: of housing, healthcare, and childcare. But as I got questions
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: about the added responsibilities that sometimes come with being a
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: first the first thing I would always say is that
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: I know that The only way I can do right
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: by my community I'm a part of is to quite
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: simply be the best member of Congress for Delaware that
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: I can be, To be an effective member working on
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: all of the issues that matter. Now, this makes sense,
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Like all of that conversation, it would be lovely. I
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: think we've said that in general, just being a woman
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: and say being known as the woman of this and
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: a woman of color of this, instead of being a
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: great congresswoman or a great podcaster or all these that
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: it has to be classified because the system is so
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: badly against marginalized communities. But that's not how it works. Unfortunately,
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: in her reaction in general in these transphobic tactics has
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: disappointed some of the trans community as well. So here's
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: some information from an article titled a betrayal trans People
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: respond to Sarah McBride's bathroom bend compliance, And it's from
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: the Advocate. So it says McBride, who is currently attending
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: orientation for incoming members of Congress, is already navigating GOP
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: led attacks, including the discriminatory bathroom policy. However, her decision
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: to comply with the rule and focus instead on broader
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: legislative priorities has drawn sharp criticism from advocates who feel
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: it minimizes the gravity of the issue.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: Quote.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: I'm not here to fight aboutthoms, McBride said in a
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: statement that sparked widespread debate Wednesday. So this was the
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: end of November. I'm here to fight for Delawareans and
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, i
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: if I disagree with them. So that statement really really
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: felt like giving in. I think for a lot of
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: the trans community, they really felt like this is going
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: to set up precedent in communities and in businesses everywhere
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: and in schools, which was a huge Supreme Court justice.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: We already know there's another trans court case going forward
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: with the Supreme Court, and people are really nervous, as
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: they should be. And I'm not going to get into
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: that here, but there's a lot. So during our research,
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: we stumbled upon the reactions on Reddit, and actually it's
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: an interesting mixed bag. So we're going to read some
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: of the comments from the Reddit posts. That actually was
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: a post from that Advocate article, like that was the
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: headlining article that they were commenting under. So saying user
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: names I guess should be going as a caveat, like
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: we're saying it as we're reading it. If we don't
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: understand it, we might spell it out. That sounds so
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: boomer GenEx or of me, but I'm gonna try it, okay,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: So from user newly underscore me, they write, I feel betrayed,
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: but I also feel betrayed by Dems that come out
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: and forced to protect her and all the freaking trans
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: staffers because what the many have been feckless cowards and
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: they should have been whipped by the minority whip on this.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: Angry for the permission it grants the nationwide potentially, and
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: just scared and angry at everything right now, not purely
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: at her, but I think it was important, even if
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: she shouldn't have had to shoulder it. It's not my
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: place to say anyway, just rambling because every day seems
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: a bit scarier and no one irl to really sympathize
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: with and angry.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Underscore a Low replied to them, saying I feel the
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: same way. This is the story's oldest time. Democrats talk
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: a big game, and when it's actually time to make
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: an impact, they just sit twiddling their thumbs asking for money.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: If you treated your coworker the same way Mace, Green
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: and Johnson are treating McBride, you'd be fired on the spot.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: And here's another comment from Transitory, no infighting. I disagree
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: with how McBride chose to handle this with the problem
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: is Nancy Mace, not McBride. We could have talks within
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: the community about how we should be handling our oppressors
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: with the opposition is our oppressors.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: And here's what missus Synchrony wrote. She simply should have
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: omitted the words I will follow the rules from her statement.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: She could have issued the entirety of the rest of
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: the statement minus that line, and then quietly obey the
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: rules if that's her safest choice, and gone about the
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: business of being a congresswoman as she sees fit. No
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: big loud fight required, no distracting confrontation, but no signal
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: of acquiescence, which is what many trans people are hearing
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: in her words. I think her statement was drafted from
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: within a running for our election frame of mind. But
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: the campaign is over and she needs to shift out
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: of that mode now. I hope she adds someone to
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: her team with experience in crisis communications who can help
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: her walk the tightrope she's on because business as usual
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: campaign communications is not going to serve her well from
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: this point forward. Yeah, and a lot of the commenters
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: also noted that she was doing what she had to,
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: especially with the fact that she literally just started, not
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: even when I started, and she's already in a battle.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Yes, here's what it was. A lucky Wind writes, I
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: feel betrayed by my neighbors who voted this abject depravity
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: into power. I feel betrayed by my government. I work
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: in a federal building and fully expect to be banned
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: from the bathroom after more than a decade of hard
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: work and putting in a hell of a lot more
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: effort than my coworkers. I do not feel betrayed by Sarah.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: She is playing the only hand she has, and she
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: is playing it well. A full confrontation over this before
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: the new Congress even begins is not the power play
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: y'all are carrying on like it is. It's a chap
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: powerless position to be in, but complying and saying can't
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: we fight over things that matter? Is the only constructive
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: play she has. She is giving a masterclass in restraint.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: Grace and leadership.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: Right and from Dijazia. I don't feel betrayed by her.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: It's brave to walk into the lions. Then, like she's doing.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: What we should do is have volunteer transmit with big
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: muscles and bushy beards show up to the cap and
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: stand in the line for the ladies restroom to prove
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: a point. That is the tactic, and vice Grip wrote,
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: stop listening to media about this. She didn't capitulate about
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: the washroom. She gave a savvy political reply to prevent
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Republicans from immediately casting her entire legislative history into being
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: about a washroom. Sarah obviously is more interested in showing
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: that she places her constituents ahead of her knees. This
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: is the media's fault, not hers. Sometimes you have to
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: play three D chess, especially when you're a woman. Also,
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: AOC came out in force to defend her. So yeah,
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: the opinions on Reddit are interesting. So there's a lot
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: more that I didn't put in here, a lot of
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: back and forth, but a big chunk of people on
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: Reddit really were just in that mindset. She's doing what
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: she has to do, which I think we've talked about
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: for many women, many marginalized people, being in politics or
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: being in a position of power to get there unfortunately
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: means playing the game and looking at what is a
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: win lose situation, a win win situation, and what is
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: worth a fight, like picking and choosing battles, as we've
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: talked about previously. Going back to the article from The
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: Advocate the original article, here's another quote from it. It says,
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: for many advocates, McBride's compliance signals more than just a
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: response to a single policy. Alejandra Carabeo, a Harvard law
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: instructor and trans advocate, warned that Republicans are likely to
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: escalate their attacks. This will not stop with bathrooms, Carabeo
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: told The Advocate. The next thing they're going to do
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: is enforce a dress code on her, force her to
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: wear a suit and ensure that she is misgendered on
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: the house floor if she already carved on. This was
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: to stop her from caving further. Carabio also highlighted how
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: the policy could impact other transgender people in the capital complex.
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: This is going to push out trans staffers and in
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: terms from working in congressional members, she said. Carabaio expressed
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: a further concern over the GOP's systematic targeting of McBride.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: They're going to miss gender her, intentionally follow her around,
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: harass her, and try to use her as content for
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: their media machine. By caving, now she's shown them that
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: this tactic works. Carabio says, Yeah, there's a lot when
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: it comes to this conversation, and they're not wrong. I mean,
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: it's true. It's kind of like Marjorie Taylor Green already
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: said she was going to fight her.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: I mean yeah, And McBride did respond to the Advocate
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: as well, and here's what she said. I'm here to
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: represent my constituents, including LGBTQ constituents, but I'm not here
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: to make this about me. That means fighting for them
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: and not allowing a right wing culture war machine to
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: turn me into the issue. She added, I am continuing
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: to work to guarantee that the Capital Complex is safe
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: for all staff in terms of visitors. I can deal
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: with that, other people shouldn't have to.
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: And going back to the New Yorker interview, she talks
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: about her current position within this controversy as well. She says, look,
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: I'm human, and it never feels good to be used
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: as an opportunity to get headlines. It never feels good
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: to have people talk about deeply personal things. I think
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: I knew what I was signing up for, though I
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: know what the Republican Party in this country in Congress
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: has become. And then she continue to explain this comment,
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: saying it's a party that is more interested in performance
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: art and being professional provocateurs than being serious legislators and
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: a serious governing party. I think they have come to
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: the conclusion that they're able to get enough votes if
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: they occasionally throw red meat to folks, because that red
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: meat might satiate what is an authentic crisis of hope
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: that I think people across the country face right now.
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: I think we have to be crystal clear in calling
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: them out on what they are doing and pull the
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: curtent back to really dull the effect that these manufactured
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: culture wars have on the American voter. Some people do
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: receive this red meat, and it resonates with them, it
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: makes them feel better, but it doesn't actually address the
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: real pain in their lives, and I think we should
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: be calling that out and obviously modeling an approach to
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: governing that genuinely solves the real problems that people are
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: facing that create a level of insecurity and fear that
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: allows for culture wars to satiate at least something instantaneously.
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: And though it may not seem like it publicly, McBride
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: did say she did feel supported. Some more from the
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: New Yorker quote, I have been overwhelmed and heartened by
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: the love and the support of my Democratic colleagues. It
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: was stunning. I got to Washington and I'm at orientation.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: I'm grateful that I had a week before all of
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: this started, because I had a week to just marvel
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: at the fact that I was there.
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: Right and she continued, I thought, this is the space
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: where the thirteenth Amendment and the fourteenth Amendment were passed.
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: This is a space where women got the right to vote.
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: This is the space. These are the chairs. This is
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: the job of the people who voted to pass the
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. And you
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: feel this awesome responsibility not just to deliver on the
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: tangible policies for the constituents you serve in that moment,
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: but you also feel that deep responsibility as you realize
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: that you are one of a little more than five
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: hundred people who have the responsibility to be stewards of
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: a democracy, of the longest ongoing democracy in the world.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: That is an awe aspiring responsibility. I'm really grateful that
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: I had that opportunity. But what was made that much
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: more meaningful was in that second week, as all of
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: this noise happened, as I continued to be focused on
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: the actual work that I was there to do, the
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: love and the support that came in from my Democratic
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: colleagues really reinforced what I had already been hearing, which
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: is that the caucus is a family. It is very
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: pretty I love her hope in this. I don't know
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: if that's true. Again, we did not see that on
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: our side. I don't know if she was able to
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: talk to anyone about relenting to Representative Johnson. I don't know.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: There's so much to be said, and I can only
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: imagine the amount of pressure she has, the amount of
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: vitriol she is heard throughout her time since coming out,
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: and the fact that she is willing to put ourselves
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: on the line to try to be a good representative
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: for her constituents as well, because it's going to be
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: an uphill battle. Obviously, I really hope for all of
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: the best and yeah, all that to say is yes,
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: there's so much happening already. We are all watching and
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: we want to be good witnesses and stewards as well
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: and making sure that we are talking about what she
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: is doing and how we can protect her as well.
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: And the fact that we are able to communicate and
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: hear from the trans community and that we do want
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: to sit back and listen about what they have to
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: say in this conversation. And of course the road that
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: Representative Elects McBride is on is going to be difficult,
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: but we wish are the best and wait to see
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: what the future holds. As well as for the trans
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: people here, we love you, we support you, and we
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: will continue to tell your stories, to hear your stories
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: and know that.
• 15:16
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• 15:21
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• 15:24
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• 15:27
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