June is here and as a great deal of Pride events will be held virtually this year, and there are many opportunities to celebrate the Queer community. Feminist Book Club has a wealth of podcast episodes and blog posts dedicated specifically to gender identity and amplifying the work of transgender people everywhere. For example, Natalia and Lucy talk about gender, fashion, and feminism and I have reviewed one of my favorite books, Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender.
One of my favorite ways to celebrate Pride is to read a number of books by Queer authors and this year I have a new and memorable favorite. Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride is perhaps one of the most Influential books I have read this year.
Sarah McBride Journey to State Senator
Sarah McBride is a State Senator for the first district in Delaware which she won in the November 2020 Primary Election, making her the first openly transgender senator in American history. Sarah McBride grew up with great pride for her state. After publicly coming out as transgender during her last semester and term as student body president at American University, Sarah began her high paced trajectory towards leadership.
Sarah saw the inequalities and discrimination that transgender people experienced (and still experience) each day and made it her mission to make a change specifically in her home state. Sarah saw her advocacy after college by working for the Obama’s White House, Delaware Governor Jack Markell, and Attorney General Beau Biden.
During her time advocating for transgender rights to non-discrimination protections and healthcare rights Sarah met her future husband, Andrew Cray who was a radiant and proud transgender man from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Andrew, or Andy as Sarah calls him, was one of the vital members of the team that secured LGBTQ+ protections for the Affordable Care Act. Until the day that Andy passed away from oral cancer, he dedicated his life to advocating for transgender rights and amplifying their voices.
My Thoughts
Content warnings for Tomorrow Will Be Different: Death, cancer, terminal illness, and transphobia
Tomorrow Will Be Different is one of the most influential books I have read. Specifically as a queer cisgender woman, I have many privileges that I am not always cognizant of. Reading and more specifically listening to Tomorrow Will Be Different was both a challenging and enlightening experience. Sarah lays it all out in her memoir and although she is quite young, she has lived a life full of experiences that have matured her beyond her years. Sarah accepts that she may not always know the answers and that asking for help and learning are the keys to her own achievement.
Tomorrow Will Be Different does have a great deal of difficult moments where I was choked up with emotion. Specifically hearing about the love Sarah feels for Andy brought me so much happiness and devastation when I went along with the journey they took after Andy was diagnosed with oral cancer.
Listening to the audiobook read by Sarah herself is my highest recommendation. Hearing Sarah’s story from her own voice made each chosen word even more impactful. Tomorrow Will Be Different will be a book that I will come back to many times in the future because of Sarah’s inspirational trajectory and advocacy for all.
