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‘State of Firsts' documentary explores Sarah McBride's historic first months in Congress

‘State of Firsts' documentary explores Sarah McBride's historic first months in Congress

NBC News04-06-2025
When Rep. Sarah McBride, the nation's first openly transgender member of Congress, said in November that she would comply with a policy from House Republicans that banned her from using public women's restrooms in the House, many in the transgender community were disappointed — and some even furious.
Some people expected McBride, as the only trans member of Congress, to fight more, especially given efforts by state Republicans and the Trump administration to roll back trans rights.
In 'State of Firsts,' a documentary about McBride's election that will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on Saturday, McBride says the criticism from some in her own community hurt but that she felt she would be giving in to Republicans by responding in a way that made her less effective at her job.
'I also think people misunderstand the difference between activists and elected officials and the roles that those respective jobs play in social change and social movement,' she says. 'Even if you disagree with that, there would be a bounty on my head if I said that I would not comply.'
The documentary explores the unique pressures McBride faced entering Congress. It provides some of the first glimpses at how the bathroom resolution and the criticism from her own community has affected her, and it addresses questions about the limits and challenges of representation and of being a historic 'first' in federal office.
'It's easy to tell a simple story about a first or about a person's experience, but you don't get many lessons learned from simple stories,' McBride told NBC News ahead of the documentary's premiere. 'My motivation in agreeing to this was to hopefully help chronicle what it was truly like … so that others who come after me can maybe pull from some of the lessons and some of the experiences, so that their experience is maybe a little bit easier or they can do it a little bit better.'
Being first isn't necessarily new for McBride. She became the first out trans woman to work in the White House when she interned with the Obama administration, according to her 2018 memoir, 'Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality.' Then, in 2016, she became the first trans person to speak at a major political convention when she gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention. In 2020, she became the country's first openly trans state senator.
Though McBride had an idea of what it was like to be a 'first,' she entered Congress at an unprecedented time for trans people, as dozens of states have enacted restrictions on the bathrooms trans people can use in schools and government buildings and their access to transition-related care and school sports.
The documentary also shows how the Democratic Party has been fractured both by the conservative campaign to restrict trans rights and the ongoing war in Gaza.
The documentary shows McBride knocking on constituents' doors before the Democratic primary election in Delaware in September. McBride asks a constituent whether she can count on their support, and the constituent says, 'The only thing that would dissuade us from voting for you is can we count on you to call for a ceasefire?' McBride responds that she has called for a ceasefire, and the constituent asks, 'How much can we count on you to be vocal about it?' before becoming emotional and saying it's hard to see images of kids who 'look like our kid.' (The film also shows the reporter of this article asking McBride about the interaction in an interview.)
Chase Joynt, the documentary's director, said it was important for him to show that moment not only because it revealed an important issue for one of McBride's constituents, but also because it spoke to a larger theme of the film: that much of the public expected McBride to be an activist, even though that isn't who she has been for most of her political career as a progressive Democrat largely in line with the party's platform.
'One of the central tensions in the film and of this political moment are the frictions between activist and electoral strategies of social change and the pressures put on politicians, in particular, to make statements and make claims and to be constantly negotiating what's at stake in all of those moves,' Joynt said.
The documentary delves into the LGBTQ community's complex response to McBride's becoming a 'first.' It includes audio from Slate's 'Outward' podcast, in which writer Jules Gill-Peterson says, 'This first elected representative is really not one that it seems like many trans people are going to get excited about, given some of her policy positions and the way that she's sort of aligned with the party establishment.'
Co-host Christina Cauterucci, a Slate editor, responds: 'I think she's had to be like that. I think a trans person who was more radical in any sense just simply would not have achieved what she's achieved.'
Joynt said he hopes the documentary encourages people to think about the potentials and limitations of representation in political office.
'We can expand that conversation to think about a politics of representation that requires trans people to be good, that requires trans people to be palatable, to be on the right side, whatever that might mean, of certain issues,' Joynt said.
Joynt said one of the 'perils' of coverage of political figures, particularly those who are 'firsts,' is that 'we put a lot of pressure on individual people to represent all of the various issues and needs,' when, in reality, no one person of any identity can represent all relevant views.
McBride said that with this film, she wants people to see more than just headlines and short video clips. She wants them to get a glimpse of the tradeoffs and challenges — as well as the joy and humor — that come with being a first in Congress.
'It's so easy to forget the fullness of who people are and the complexities that every single person is navigating and often the impossible choices that people have to make,' she said.
She added that, since the bathroom resolution, she has become 'more confident now than I have ever been that the approach that I am taking since getting to Congress is working.'
'Some of my colleagues realized that I'm just not fun,' she said, laughing. 'I'm not going to give them the response that they want, because I always knew that this was not about their actual, genuine distaste for trans people, it's because they wanted attention, and because I refuse to let them use me as a pawn, the reality show has moved on to other free gimmicks.'
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Trump, who went on to trounce Democratic rival Kamla Harris in the presidential elections in November 2024, is known to have a decade-long fascination with aliens and unexplainable sightings. He told popular American podcaster Lex Fridman that he would "surely" make secret footage of alleged UFO sightings public. During the chat, Fridman asked Trump: "Will you help push the Pentagon to release more footage, which a lot of people claim is available?" To which Trump readily agreed and said: "Oh yeah, sure, I'll do that. I would do that. I'd love to do that. I have to do that." The Republican leader also claimed he had faced pressure to declassify previous records of alien encounters as he admitted "there could be life on other planets". He added: "People begged me not to do it but I'll be doing that very early on." "Clearly the Trump administration is not going anywhere near the NHI topic at the moment, so when will the issue be broached? It's a good question. "The Federal Secrets Task Force under the stewardship of Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna was given only a six-month mandate to look at the likes of the JFK, RFK assassinations etc, but it was also supposed to look at UFO/UAP/USOs yet, the latter dates to discuss that have been put back until no-one knows. "If things don't develop soon on that front, then the six months mandate may soon expire. What then? "Approximately two months ago a major new UAP documentary film, 'The Age of Disclosure' premiered at a mid-west film festival and it received very favourable reviews in the mainstream media yet, the roll-out of the film nationwide/worldwide did not follow and has been put on hold. "Why? My guess it is all about timing. "I suspect the volatile situations in Europe and the Middle-East have put paid to addressing the UAP issue for the time being. "I think it will be interesting to see when the film is released, and indeed how it is rolled out. "Some people think it may get a national cinema run which would be very interesting if that occurs. "I believe the documentary may hold the key to a 'Disclosure' moment as it is meant to usher in a new dawn in mankind's history. "Senator Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State for the United States is featured in the film and he is seen as third only to the President and the Vice President in terms of his place in the administration. 8 8 8 "His appearance in the film is bound to be a major talking point for the media. "Whilst I have not seen the film the excellent trailer states that 34 key people appear in it, including several current politicians. "In the film trailer, Jay Stratton, the former head of the UAP Task Force states openly that he has seen NHI craft and Non-Human bodies. That in itself is highly noteworthy. He's never said anything like that publicly before. "In recent months two eminent scientists involved in UAP research for decades have finally revealed things in public for the very first time. "Hal Puthoff, arguably the most important scientist ever to work on the UAP issue, said recently on the Joe Rogan podcast, that the U.S. has 10 NHI craft in its possession. "And only in just the last few weeks, Eric Davis, a scientist who has worked with Puthoff for many years said at a UAP Disclosure Fund event in Congress, that there are four different types of NHI, the Greys, Reptilians, Mantids and Nordics! "What has long been suspected has now been confirmed by one of the world's leading scientists on the UAP issue. His public statement is something of a wow moment for me." 'PHOENIX LIGHTS' Back in March 1997, thousands of people, including Hollywood actor Kurt Russell and a former US governor, witnessed the so-called Phoenix Lights. Some people managed to film the lights using camcorders as camera phones were not available. But smartphones are everywhere now and Gary believes another major event could not be easily hushed up or dismissed by the powers that be like they did before. He said: "I think we are truly at a crossroads on the Disclosure issue. "There is a real chance this year that things will come together and the film 'Age of Disclosure' will be used to support an announcement by President Trump of the reality of NHI. "However, if that does not happen this year then the moment we have all hoped for so long may have been lost for who knows how long and the prospect of 'Catastrophic Disclosure', a term coined by Colonel Karl Nell, may be the only way that the NHI story finally breaks into the mainstream world. What were the Phoenix Lights? The Phoenix Lights were a series of widely sighted unidentified flying objects (UFOs) observed over Arizona and Nevada on March 13, 1997. Thousands of people reported seeing a V-shaped formation of lights moving silently across the sky, and stationary lights in the Phoenix area. While some believe it was a UFO sighting, the official explanation is that they were flares dropped during military exercises. The lights were observed between 7.30 pm and 10.30pm MST, spanning a distance of about 300 miles, from the Nevada border through Phoenix to Tucson. The Air Force stated the lights were flares dropped during military exercises at the Barry M. Goldwater Range near Phoenix. Despite the official explanation, many people believe the lights were a genuine UFO sighting, and the incident has become a significant event in UFO lore. The Phoenix Lights remain a subject of debate and fascination, with many still questioning the official explanation. "Yet 'Catastrophic Disclosure' should be a last resort measure because of the uncertainty such an event may cause. "For decades the forces that have controlled the UAP narrative have risked such an event but were half prepared to combat such a scenario, the risk for panic and alarm is now much higher because of the internet, new technology and the use of social media. "Think about it, everyone carries a smartphone with high quality video cameras and applications that offer immediate 'live streaming'. "I've been saying it for several years that if the 1997 Phoenix Lights event took place now that it would likely cause a 'Catastrophic Disclosure' moment. "Back then the authorities were able to cast doubt on grainy poor quality videos of lights in the sky above the city and they just about managed to 'control' of the media and officials but it was a close shave. "But here is the kicker, I believe that if that same event happened today and was seen by over 50,000 people, and was captured in 4k, 8k video and 'live streamed' within minutes of it occurring the authorities would not have time to contain it. "Such an event would likely go viral across the world on social media in minutes …. and the cat would be out of the bag. "A mile wide craft of unknown origin captured in stark reality over the city of Phoenix and with it 'Catastrophic Disclosure' on an unprepared world. "So this is a choice for our political leaders. I would urge President Trump to inform the world about the reality of NHI soon or risk causing major public panic with a 'Catastrophic Disclosure' event. "The clock is ticking like never before." 8 8

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