Poli Alert Politics & Civics
Related Articles
Jimmy Williams
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution Monday to ban transgender women from using female bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol, just weeks before Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first out transgender member of Congress, is set to take office.
The measure would restrict lawmakers and House employees to using single-sex facilities corresponding to their biological sex, with enforcement left to the House sergeant-at-arms.
Asked whether her resolution specifically targeted McBride, Mace said, “Sarah McBride doesn’t get a say in this. This is a biological man trying to force himself into women’s spaces, and I’m not going to tolerate it.”
McBride Fires Back
McBride, who won Delaware’s lone House seat earlier this month, responded sharply, calling the measure a distraction.
“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,” McBride said in a statement. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars.”
She added, “Everyday 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.”
McBride’s spokesperson said Mace did not notify the congresswoman-elect about the resolution, which McBride learned about from the media.
Mace Defends Measure as Protecting ‘Women’s Rights’
Mace described the proposal as a defense of women’s rights and private spaces. “The radical left is trying to erase those rights,” she told reporters.
The resolution would not require Senate approval or presidential signature to take effect, but Mace plans to reintroduce it in the next Congress, where Republicans will maintain control of the House.
Backlash from Advocates
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an LGBTQ advocacy organization, criticized the measure as a discriminatory attack against McBride.
“This is a political charade by a grown-up bully,” said HRC spokesperson Laurel Powell. “It’s another warning sign that the incoming anti-equality House majority will focus on targeting LGBTQ+ people instead of addressing issues like cost of living or price gouging.”
The controversy underscores the deepening political divide over transgender rights. In the 2024 campaign cycle, Republicans spent over $200 million on television ads targeting trans people, according to AdImpact, a political ad tracking firm.
Broader GOP Platform on Transgender Issues
The Republican platform this year prominently featured anti-trans rhetoric, calling for bans on transgender athletes in gender-aligned sports, repealing LGBTQ-inclusive Title IX protections, and blocking taxpayer funding for gender-affirming surgery.
Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, are grappling with internal divisions over the issue. Some party members blamed what they called an overly progressive stance on transgender rights as a contributing factor to Vice President Kamala Harris’s election loss to President-elect Donald Trump.
As McBride prepares to make history in Congress, Mace’s resolution signals that the battle over transgender rights will continue to play out on Capitol Hill.
