"A Delaware native, McBride worked on Beau Biden's two campaigns to serve as the state's attorney general. She came out in 2012 just after stepping down as student body president at American University, she recalled in an interview last year, even though she was terrified that she "would be a disappointment to the people who had invited me into their lives, into their careers."
But shortly after she posted the news on Facebook, Beau Biden called her to offer his support.
"This is Beau," McBride recalled the vice president's son, who died in 2015, as saying. "Hallie and I are so proud of you. We love you, and you’re still part of the Biden family."
I don't care about her personal life. She's liberal, no doubt. I dislike the Joe Biden/Valerie Jarrett connection.
More from the 2016 article: "During an inaugural celebration in January 2013 at the vice president's residence, McBride and her mother were lining up for a picture when Biden wrapped his arm around her.
"Hey, kid, are you happy?" the vice president asked.
"Yeah," she replied.
"I am so happy you're happy," he replied. "And I just want to let you know that Beau is so proud of you, Jill is so proud of you and I'm so proud of you. And I'm so happy that you're who you are."
McBride's husband died in 2014, and several months later, she returned to the White House to attend its annual LGBT reception. While walking through the reception, she ran into White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, her former boss. While Jarrett had written her after her husband's death, McBride didn't know if she would remember her by sight.
"She gave me a hug," McBride recalled, "and said, 'Welcome home.' "