By Jenna Taylor
On Thursday, February 3rd, 2025, the US House of Representatives conducted business as usual. Recognizing members of both parties to speak for their allotted minutes. On this day, the responsibility of Chair of the House rested upon Representative Mary Miller, who represents the 15th congressional district of Illinois. She is a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus. When it came time for the freshman Congresswoman from the at-large congressional district of Delaware, Sarah McBride, she asked for recognition and received it. The issue came when Representative Mary Miller said, “The chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride, for five minutes.” McBride, an openly transgender woman, replied, “Thank you, Madam Speaker.”
In this article, I will examine Representative Miller’s failure to observe proper House decorum, Representative McBride’s decision to take the ‘high road,’ what the transgender community thinks of the incident, and what I believe Representative McBride should have done differently.
Misgendering in Public Discourse
Misgendering a transgender person is a sign of a lack of basic decency and respect for an individual’s humanity. There are times when cisgender people do this unintentionally, and to most of us transgender people, it is obvious. In this instance, Representative Miller purposefully misgendered Rep. McBride to publicly shame her, embarrass her, and deny her lived reality. A cisgender person intentionally doing such an action can have profound effects on a transgender person’s sense of safety and mental health. The people who serve as our elected officials are supposed to be professionals and role models, but as time has passed, we are straying far from that. This incident has the potential to create a social ripple effect by normalizing this harmful behavior and emboldening those who fear and hate transgender people to commit such acts.
Rep. Mary Miller’s Disrespectful Action
She made a conscious choice to harm another member of Congress publicly. By purposefully misgendering her by saying, “The chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride, for five minutes.” Rep. Miller did it on purpose, as she offered no semblance of an apology to Rep. McBride. Due to the nature of decorum in the House, Rep. McBride had few options as the Chair has complete authority over the House. The message that this sends Rep. McBride is that it is open season for cisgender people to harm us, deny us our lived reality, and deny us our humanity. This moment will live in public transcription records for the rest of the time.
Rep. Miller has made it very clear in her short tenure in the House of Representatives where she stands on LGBTQ rights. In 2021, she introduced the Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act, an act that would ban transgender girls in schools from using restrooms other than those of their assigned sex at birth. She voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which would have codified Obergefell v. Hodges, stating publicly, “This attacks the traditional family. All of these initiatives are deeply unpopular with the American people, and I will always vote NO against the radical agenda of the Left” (Loesch & Shrake, 2022). She has a deep-seated hatred for LGBTQ people; this incident was intentional.
Rep. Sarah McBride’s Response: The “High Road”
To her credit, Rep. McBride acted with the professionalism that we historically would expect from members of Congress by acknowledging Rep. Miller’s statement by saying, “Thank you, Madam Speaker.” It is commendable that Rep. McBride, in the face of such public harassment, can keep her calm and continue to conduct business as usual. In that business, she gave a speech criticizing President Trump’s policies for affecting economically disenfranchised Delawareans.
Although professional, taking this “high road” approach by not seeking to silence or correct Rep. Miller’s blatant misgendering attack on her, Rep. McBride may be unintentionally normalizing further misgendering of herself privately and on the floor, in the record. After Rep. McBride finished her speech, the Chair, Rep. Miller, recognized Rep. Nanette Barragan, who represents the 44th congressional district of California. Rep. Barragan displayed a rare act of Democratic allyship by responding to Rep. Miller with “Thank you, Mr. Speaker,” when she was recognized to speak. It was subtle, but this kind of allyship goes a long way in displaying that this behavior is inappropriate.
The Danger of Normalizing Misgendering
The correction of individuals who purposefully misgender transgender people is a way of reinforcing basic respect and dignity for transgender people. It helps to establish a boundary that says that misgendering is an unacceptable action. Despite Rep. McBride’s commendable professionalism, her failure to even acknowledge the incident, whether during or afterward, may have unintentionally emboldened those who would seek to use misgendering as a political or personal statement as a means to harm. As the highest elected openly transgender politician in the United States, her inaction undermines the progress, awareness, and acceptance that was hard fought by our community.
The media afterward asked the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, to comment on the issue, and he contradicted himself. He stated that “a man cannot become a woman” and that it is based on scripture, which is false. He ends his statement by saying he believes “we can treat everyone with dignity.” Rep. McBride needs to make a public statement about the way that her Republican colleagues are treating her, whether it’s the intentional misgendering by Rep. Miller or the harassment she has received from Rep. Nancy Mace. Most importantly, it falls on Minority Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to come out publicly to defend his freshman colleague and clarify that this behavior is unacceptable.
Elected officials must treat other members of Congress with respect, reflecting the core democratic values that this country is supposedly built on. It is vitally essential for the Democratic Party Leadership to be a vocal advocate on Rep. McBride’s behalf and to seek to correct harmful actions such as misgendering whenever witnessed. By taking such action, the Democratic Party can help normalize allyship and shift cultural norms and expectations regarding how to talk to transgender people respectfully.
A Community Divided
I asked my social media followers for their thoughts on this matter, and I was surprised by the wide range of replies I got. One person stated, “I’m really bothered by her lack of action. She’s the single highest ranking elected official from the trans community and she’s showing every transphobe in the country that this is acceptable. If she won’t stand up for herself in Congress why should I think she’ll stand up for me”. Another person stated, “In my opinion, she did the right thing. Getting into a public fight over this is what the GOP wants”.
The Bottom Line
Rep. Miller made a purposeful show of disrespect to not just another member of Congress but a minority member. Rep. McBride’s professionalism, while commendable, sets a problematic precedent. There is a great need for continued education and training on transgender issues and the harms that such actions as misgendering can cause. The Democratic Party needs to encourage a collective effort to foster a more respectful environment, not just in the halls of Congress but in the media and by private citizens.
Acknowledging the event in real-time and holding Rep. Miller accountable would have given a significant amount of comfort to transgender Americans, who are frustrated by the rapidly deteriorating political environment on transgender rights. While we can recognize that patience is a virtue, confrontation and education are often necessary to effect lasting change, as we have seen with other civil rights movements.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Transvitae. This article is intended to provide commentary and personal perspective on current events and societal issues. All facts and statements have been verified to the best of the author’s ability, but readers are encouraged to engage critically and consider multiple viewpoints.
About the Author
Jenna Taylor brings a wealth of experience and passion to her advocacy for transgender rights and healthcare equity.
Jenna Taylor holds degrees in Women’s Studies and Political Science and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration (MPA). As an intersectional trans feminist, Jenna’s work focuses on dismantling systemic barriers and advocating for gender justice. With a background as a political strategist and a sexual assault victim advocate, she brings a unique perspective to issues affecting marginalized communities.
