Republicans who campaigned against “woke” policies that allow transgender women into women’s restrooms are suddenly facing the issue head-on, now that the nation’s first transgender House lawmaker is about to be sworn in.
Speaker Mike Johnson is grappling with an interparty fight over Rep.-elect Sarah McBride’s access to the U.S. Capitol women’s restrooms — and what defines a woman.
“This is an issue Congress has never had to address before,” Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, said Tuesday after discussing the matter with lawmakers in a closed-door meeting.
The speaker told lawmakers he supports Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who is leading the effort to block Ms. McBride from the women’s restroom. He told rank-and-file lawmakers that transgender women will not be allowed into the women’s restroom in the Capitol, but did not indicate how such a policy would be enacted.
Afterward, Mr. Johnson told reporters he is working to accommodate everyone, including Ms. McBride, “with member consensus on it.”
Mr. Johnson said he’ll ensure “appropriate accommodations for every member of Congress” and called on lawmakers to treat everyone “with dignity and respect.”
In a series of social media posts, Ms. McBride called the bathroom uproar a distraction from the GOP’s absent policy proposals.
“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,” Ms. McBride said. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars.”
Ms. Mace introduced a resolution Monday that would bar transgender women from the women’s bathrooms in the Capitol. She hopes to include it in a House rules package lawmakers must vote on when the 119th Congress convenes in January.
“She was born a biological male, she should use the men’s restroom, that’s how it should work,” Ms. Mace said of Ms. McBride. “Biological men shouldn’t be in women’s private spaces. This is the last war on women, and I aim to stop it.”
Mr. Johnson has not indicated he’ll back her proposal, even though he supports Ms. Mace’s stance.
Ms. McBride, of Delaware, came out as a transgender woman in 2012 and is a longtime activist who has sought to end discrimination based on gender identity.
She served in the Delaware state Senate for four years before winning the at-large U.S. House seat earlier this month, securing nearly 80% of the vote.
On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers like Ms. McBride’s pro-Israel stance, but some female GOP lawmakers don’t want the lawmaker using the women’s restroom.
The fight, which has been taking place in communities across the U.S., could soon escalate inside the Capitol.
While Ms. Mace and other GOP women are dead set on blocking Ms. McBride from the women’s restroom, Democratic lawmakers are pledging to escort their new colleague past a blockade if necessary. They call Ms. Mace’s effort a form of bigotry and bullying.
“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,” Ms. McBride posted on X.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, backed Ms. McBride and ridiculed the GOP for focusing on bathroom access in the Capitol after Republicans won a slim majority in November.
“The notion that this incoming, small House Republican conference majority is beginning to transition to the new Congress by bullying a member of Congress. This is what we’re doing. This is the lesson that you’ve drawn from the election in November… as opposed to welcoming her to join this body so that all of us can work together, to get things done and deliver real results for the American people,” Mr. Jeffries said.
While it’s the first time Congress has been directly impacted by the issue of transgender access, the issue has riled communities across America as transgender women seek access to women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, sports teams and other areas typically segregated by sex.
Now that the divisive issue has landed on his doorstep, Mr. Johnson said he’s weighing how to handle the dilemma.
Mr. Johnson rejected as “silly” a question from a reporter who asked whether he believed Ms. McBride is a man or a woman.
“We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people,” Mr. Johnson said.
Later, in a hallway interview with reporters, Mr. Johnson, citing Bible Scriptures, said “Let me be unequivocally clear. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. And a man cannot become a woman.”
Congress is well-versed in the transgender issue. Their campaign ads centering on Democrats’ embrace of transgender rights arguably helped Republicans to hold onto the House majority and flip the Senate to GOP control.
President-elect Donald Trump seized on the issue effectively, spending millions on trans-related ads that ran during NFL games in the weeks ahead of the election. Democrats said later the targeted ads were effective and hurt both Vice President Kamala Harris and down-ballot candidates.
According to AdImpact, the GOP and aligned groups spent $215 million on advertising that used trans issues to weaken Democratic opponents, including Senate and House candidates.
Many of the ads centered on allowing transgender athletes to play on girls’ and women’s sports teams. Polls show most Americans do not believe transgender athletes should be allowed to play on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
• Alex Miller contributed to this report.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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