Trans Congresswoman Wants LGBTQ+ Youth to Know That ‘Millions’ Are Fighting for Them: ‘Hang in There’ (Exclusive)

Sarah McBride has a message for LGBTQ+ youth: "You belong here in America."

McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, spoke with PEOPLE at the Human Rights Campaign's Greater New York Dinner on Feb. 1, sharing words of comfort to young queer people in America who feel afraid for their futures.

Though President Donald Trump's administration came out of the gate in recent weeks with new policies that target LGBTQ+ individuals, McBride isn't about to throw in the towel.

"While we see attacks against our community from the federal government and too many state governments, also know that we have millions of people who are fighting alongside us, to fight for you and to deliver progress for all of us," she tells PEOPLE.

"Hang in there. Find that hope in all of the allies that love you. And together, know that we are unstoppable."

McBride made history in the 2024 elections when she was elected to Delaware's only seat in the House of Representatives. Four years earlier, she became the nation's first openly transgender state senator.

Since then, she's been a strong advocate for young queer people in the United States, and has been vocal against conservatives' escalating attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.

During the 2024 election, as Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign grew more serious about national issues and began catching up in the polls, Trump spent a stunningly large portion of his campaign dollars on ads that demonized the trans community, stoking fears among Americans to boost his support.

One popular Trump ad — which accused Harris of promoting taxpayer-funded sex changes for transgender inmates and allowing "men" to play in girls' sports — ended on the phrase, "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you."

Trump's divisive rhetoric helped send him back to the White House, where McBride claims his administration is continuing to use transgender people "as pawns to advance their agenda of gutting the federal government."

McBride tells PEOPLE that despite ongoing anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, she remains ready to defend her "beautiful yet vulnerable community."

"We're not going to let that stand," she says. "We're going to show the American people the strategy at play here ... and also highlight the very real harm — not just against trans people, not just against the LGBTQ community, but against people across this country who'll be negatively impacted by these anti-equality policies."

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In the meantime, McBride hopes that anyone who feels othered refrains from believing that they are not enough.

"I know this is a scary moment. I know you are frightened," she says. "Perhaps you wonder whether the heart of this country is big enough to love you, too."

"But know that you are beautiful, that you matter and that you belong here in America."