State of Firsts follows Rep. Sarah McBride in her historic run to become the first transgender member of Congress and the backlash that follows.

The first time that I heard of Sarah McBride was when she addressed the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She later followed me on social media when I first went public about being on the receiving end of a very abusive transphobic email. I had hoped to meet her in person during last year’s DNC but President Joe Biden’s Monday night speech went very late at the United Center, forcing several speakers to cancel appearances. But still, the fact that she was even scheduled to attend the Zioness Action Fund launch party was music to my ears in a world where LGBTQ Jews have been pushed out of LGBTQ spaces for our mere existence as Jews.

But again, the fact that Sarah didn’t turn her back on transgender Zionists is a contributing factor in why I watched State of Firsts. I can’t stress this enough. She wasn’t one of those in the transgender community who decided that Jewish transgender lives don’t matter. She didn’t turn her back on us at a time when so many in America’s transgender population decided to make Zionist a slur and have LGBTQ spaces go Jew-free. At a time when antisemitism is the worst it is has ever been in my lifetime, LGBTQ Jews have been marginalized by the LGBTQ community and that’s a shame.

Having previously read McBride’s book and spoken to her about it, I’m familiar with her background, which comes up again in State of Firsts. And while I have my own issues with how she responded to the backlash–more in a moment–I’m proud that she made history by being elected to Congress. I only regret that I wasn’t able to attend Tribeca and meet her in person, both this year or when she appeared in Daniel Karslake‘s 2019 documentary, For They Know Not What They Do.

It’s not an understatement to say that the reaction from the Election Night room as results start coming in…are just priceless with the HOLY SHIT of it all. Can you even say “Holy Shit!” in such a room? That’s still up for debate, but State of Firsts captures it on camera. The party really begins when NBC News and CNN call the race. However, when the congresswoman-elect receives a call from President Biden after the race was called, you can’t help but feel emotional as we listen in on their conversation. But on the other end of the coin is how the convicted felon won on the same evening.

State of Firsts doesn’t ignore the transphobic remarks from Democratic congressmen such as Seth Moulton and Tom Suozzi. Their comments, suffice it to say, were disappointing, especially because they basically caved into the Republican talking points. They basically looked at the GOP and then, more or less, decided to say, Oh, we don’t care about our transgender constituents. Sarah McBride was absolutely right to call out the Republican Party for making transgender rights and transgender athletes an issue. If you haven’t seen White with Fear, now would be a good time to find out why Republicans utilize a playbook that installs fear in its constituency.

And then there’s Nancy Mace with her intentional transphobic misgendering, which is basically tantamount to transphobic violence. Oy gevalt. State of Firsts cannot ignore the transphobia coming from Republican members of Congress. The only people intent on committing crimes in the bathroom are criminals, not innocent transgender Americans who just want to go into the restroom and do our business. Transphobia–much like antisemitism–has no place in the halls of Congress. Watching the documentary only makes me infuriated at those districts who decided they were fine with hateful rhetoric. That they were fine with bigotry.

State of Firsts gets into why Sarah McBride responded to congressional transphobia in the way that she did. This is where we clearly have a difference of opinion on the matter. I do find it really frustrating that she decided to follow transphobic rules rather than fight back. If I were in her shoes, you better believe that I’d be fighting back rather than going down without a fight–it’s the same thing with antisemitism coming from every which direction, I’ll call it out rather than respond with silence. McBride does get into her disagreements with those who would prefer she fight back against the transphobia.

When it comes to the backlash, State of Firsts does not ignore the heated conversation between Reps. William Keating and Keith Self. Thankfully, it is included in the film. Let this serve as a lesson on how not to treat a member of Congress. Seriously. Rep. Keith Self couldn’t have displayed more unprofessional conduct if he tried. His conduct was seriously unbecoming of a congressman.

State of Firsts should be required viewing for every member of Congress. Maybe it’ll remind people what it’s like to treat others in the way they wish to be treated. Maybe they’ll stop worrying about genitals and get back to focusing on the things that REALLY matter. I’ll tell you this: I’ve never forgotten how terrified I was when someone knocked on a bathroom stall door–at Navy Pier–to point out which restroom I was in. This was back in 2018–I’d been full time for nearly two years–and if the GOP had their way, I wouldn’t have any access to HRT or bathrooms, etc.

DIRECTOR: Chase Joynt
FEATURING: Sarah McBride, Dave McBride, Sally McBride, Sean Meloy, Dan McBride

State of Firsts holds its world premiere during the 2025 Tribeca Festival in the Spotlight+ program. Grade: 4.5/5

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