House Speaker Mike Johnson has ruled that the first transgender member of Congress will not be allowed to use women’s restrooms after widespread outrage over a ruling that will shake the U.S. Capitol.
Newly elected Sarah McBride, who will be the first openly transgender MP to be sworn in in January, will have to use the men’s facilities.
The decision follows a week of outrage from outspoken Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who have called McBride a “man,” a predator and accused her of being “mentally ill.” are.
Republicans felt strengthened by Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential elections.
Trump has promised to end taxpayer funding for gender reassignment treatments, ban transgender people from joining the military and ban trans athletes from women’s sports.
Data shows that the number of adults who identify as transgender in the US is between 0.5 and 1.6 percent.
Mace had introduced a bill prohibit transgender preventing women from using women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill.
The Republican Party leader finally weighed in on the controversy Wednesday in a statement saying McBride should use the restroom of her biological gender.
“All sex facilities in the Capitol and House of Representatives office buildings – such as restrooms, locker rooms and locker rooms – are reserved for persons of that biological sex,” Johnson said in a statement.
“It is important to note that each member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol,” he continued. ‘Women deserve only women’s spaces.’
DailyMail.com contacted McBride for comment.
Mace said she is “standing up for women” with her campaign to stop McBride from using the women’s toilets.
‘I am a victim of abuse myself. I am a rape survivor. “I have PTSD from the abuse I suffered at the hands of a man, and I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces,” she fired back at a reporter on Tuesday.
Congresswoman Sarah McBride becomes the first transgender member of Congress. On Wednesday, Speaker Johnson announced that single-sex facilities in the U.S. Capitol would be reserved for that biological gender and banned her from using the women’s room on Capitol Hill.
‘If being a feminist makes me an extremist, I’m all for that.
“So I’m absolutely 100 percent going to stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a ladies’ room, in our locker rooms, [or] in our changing rooms.’
Mace also revealed that she has received death threats because of her stance on McBride.
She said she won’t shut up, no matter if critics call me names or make death threats, I don’t care. I’m not stopping.’
Meanwhile, Greene doubled down on Mace’s resolution, describing McBride as “mentally ill” this week: “He’s a man.” He is a biological male, so he is not allowed to use our women’s restrooms, our women’s gym, our locker rooms, or our female-specific areas.
“He’s a biological male,” she said again. “He’s got plenty of places he can go.”
During a news conference with House Republican leadership Tuesday morning, a reporter asked Johnson whether McBride is a man or a woman.
“I’m not going to get into this,” Johnson replied. “We welcome with open arms all new members who are duly elected representatives of the people.”
He said he believes it is a “commandment that we treat all people with dignity and respect” and asserted that this will be the case.
‘I’m not going to have any crazy discussions about this. There are concerns about the use of toilet facilities, changing rooms and the like. This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before,” Johnson continued.
“We are going to do that in a deliberate manner, with consensus among the membership, and we will meet the needs of each individual,” he added.
He reportedly promised Mace behind closed doors on Tuesday that he would include the provision including her measure in the house rules package.
His comments were immediately met with backlash from MAGA loyalists and conservatives online. Just hours later, Johnson attempted to clarify.
Speaker Mike Johnson was asked during a news conference on Nov. 19 whether freshman Sarah McBride, who is transgender, is a man or a woman. He replied that he ‘will not comment on this’ and that all new members are welcome. He said “concerns about the use of toilet facilities” will be addressed in a purposeful manner, with consensus among members’
“Let me be unequivocally clear: a man is a man, and a woman is a woman, and a man cannot become a woman,” he said.
Mace did not shy away when asked whether her measure was introduced specifically to attack her new colleague McBride. She said McBride should be forced to use the men’s room.
“She was born a biological male, she should use the men’s room, that’s how it should work,” Mace told reporters Monday night.
Rep.-elect Sarah McBride was elected to represent Delaware by double digits in November. She will enter Congress as the first transgender member of Congress. She was previously elected to serve in the Delaware Senate
Rep. Nancy Mace spoke to reporters on Nov. 19 after introducing a resolution to ban trans women from using the women’s restroom in the U.S. Capitol
However, it is not clear how the resolution will be implemented. When asked, Mace didn’t have a clear answer.
‘Here’s the deal: biological men are not allowed to be in women’s private spaces. Period,” she said.
Mace’s resolution comes as Republicans, including President-elect Trump, put attacks on transgender Americans at the forefront of their messaging ahead of the 2024 election.
McBride denounced the South Carolina congressman’s measure Monday evening with a message on X.
‘Every day, Americans get to work with people who have a different life journey than their own and treat them with respect. I hope members of Congress can extend that same kindness,” she wrote.
She called the resolution a “blatant attempt by far-right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.”
“We should focus on reducing the costs of housing, health care and child care, not on creating culture wars,” she wrote. “Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
McBride, who was first elected as a Delaware state senator, won the blue state by double digits earlier this year with nearly 58 percent of support.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the Republican efforts on Tuesday. He said the narrow majority of the Republican Party is beginning to transition to the new Congress “by bullying a member of Congress.”
‘This is what we do? “Is this the lesson you learned from the November election?” he asked.
“Is your priority about bullying a member of Congress rather than welcoming her to this body so we can all work together to get things done and deliver real results for the American people?” Jeffries asked.
He suggested that Republicans aren’t really focused on lowering costs and the housing crisis.