Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday said that he supports restricting “single-sex facilities” in the Capitol, including restrooms, to “individuals of that biological sex”— which would effectively ban the first transgender congresswoman from using women’s bathrooms in the next Congress.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a resolution this week that would ban transgender women from using women's bathrooms and other facilities at the Capitol. She said Tuesday the bill "absolutely" targets Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.
“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex," Johnson said in the statement, noting that, "each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol."
He added, “Women deserve women’s only spaces.”
Johnson on Tuesday told reporters that he personally believes "a man cannot become a woman" but added, "I also believe that we treat everybody with dignity, and so we can do and believe all those things at the same time."
In a statement posted to X on Wednesday, McBride wrote, “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them.”
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“The effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days, as I’ve remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January,” she added.
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The speaker’s statement alone doesn’t formally restrict transgender people from using the bathroom aligned with their gender, but it signals the kind of rules that could be included in the coming Congress’ rules package — which would take effect in January.
Asked about the speaker’s statement, Mace said she found the sentiment positive but that she still had questions about enforcement mechanisms and if it would be in the Rules package for the next Congress.
Her position on LGBTQ issues this week appears to be a departure from comments she made in a 2021 interview, where Mace told the Washington Examiner, "I strongly support LGBTQ rights and equality. No one should be discriminated against."
At the time, she added, “It isn’t a black-and-white issue. I do believe that religious liberty, the First Amendment, gay rights, and transgender equality can all coexist. I’m also a constitutionalist, and we have to ensure anti-discrimination laws don’t violate First Amendment rights or religious freedom.”
When asked about her past remarks about being in favor of “LGBTQ rights and equality,” Mace confirmed that she supports same-sex marriage but defended her stance on prohibiting transgender women from women’s restrooms.
“If you think protecting women is discrimination, you are the problem. We don’t care if you’re trans,” she said, before making a crude remark about genitalia and who belongs in a women’s bathroom.
Since Mace introduced her resolution, Democrats have resoundingly rebuked her and GOP leaders.
On Tuesday, during a press conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blasted his Republican colleagues, accusing them of "bullying" McBride.
“This incoming Small House Republican Conference majority is beginning to transition to the new Congress by bullying a member of Congress,” Jeffries told reporters. “This is what we’re doing? This is the lesson that you’ve drawn from the election in November? This is your priority, that you want to bully a member of Congress, as opposed to welcoming her to join this body so all of us can work together.”
A spokesperson for Jeffries did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Johnson's Wednesday statement.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told reporters Wednesday that he opposes Mace's proposal. "It seems to me that that is discriminatory and it’s insulting, it’s a deliberate affront, and it’s really workplace bullying," he said.
And Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., wrote in a post on X that the bill was "hateful," "dangerous" and "unnecessary."
"Trans people represent one half of one percent of Americans. Mind your own damn business and let them be," Jayapal added.
On the other side of the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also decried Mace's resolution as "mean and cruel.”
McBride had responded to Mace's resolution on Monday, writing in a post on X that, "Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness."
She added in a second post, "This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing. We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars."
Kyle Stewart, Syedah Asghar and Jo Yurcaba contributed.
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