House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) announced Wednesday that he will prevent biological males from using women's restrooms at the U.S. Capitol.
Johnson's pledge comes after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution that would ban transgender women (biological males) from using biological women's restrooms in the Capitol. This comes weeks after Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride (D-Delaware), who is transgender, introduced the bill. Woman, sworn.
The matter quickly escalated on Monday after Mr Mace announced his intention to introduce a resolution, leading to speculation about how Mr Johnson would act. The chair gave mixed signals on Tuesday, but in a statement on Wednesday he made it clear that McBride and biological males would not be allowed to use women's restrooms.
“All single-sex facilities, including restrooms, locker rooms, and locker rooms in the Capitol Building and the House of Commons Office Building, are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” Johnson said in a statement. “It is important to note that each member's office has its own restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout Parliament House.”
Johnson was then asked whether he would implement this policy, presumably through Sgt.
Johnson: “Like all House policies, it is enforceable.'' said reporters. “And there's a reason why we have separate facilities for men and women, and women have a right to women-only spaces. And we're not against anyone, we're women's I am a supporter of this. I believe it is an important policy that will continue. This has always been an implicit policy, but now it is clearly stated.”
Johnson promised to address the issue during a closed House Republican meeting on Tuesday, but did not commit to doing so publicly afterward. McBride initially refused to even say whether she was male or female, and then spoke briefly to the media specifically to clarify her views. .
Johnson's initial reluctance to get involved was due to Democrats' reluctance to tackle the issue head-on.
McBride himself has been reluctant to discuss the issue, using his public statements to pivot to a discussion of how to get Americans out of the Biden-Harris economy.
Sarah McBride of the HRC Federal Club speaks at the 21st Annual HRC Nashville Equality Dinner Honoring Kesha at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, March 5, 2016. (Photo by Wade Payne/Invision/AP )
“I'm not here to fight about bathrooms,” McBride said. “I’m here to fight for Delawareans and reduce the costs families face.”
Democrats are following McBride's lead and appear unwilling or unable to debate the pros and cons of this issue with Republicans. They accuse Republicans of raising the issue to distract from the lack of other policy proposals, peppered with accusations of bias.
This tactic, coming just days after the Democratic Party's policy agenda was completely rejected by the American people, may not be effective. But the alternative could be even worse, as Democrats' embrace of transgender issues is widely believed to be a key factor in their election defeat.
Republicans who voted against Mr. Trump opposed such things as allowing biological males to enter women's restrooms, allowing males in women's sports, and allowing doctors to mutilate children to reverse their biological sex. He achieved success with his campaign.
Many conservatives were taken aback by Johnson's comments, given the success of the Republican campaign on the issue. refused Tuesday morning, we will force the issue to resolve.
When asked if McBride was male or female, he replied, “Listen, I'm not going to get into this.” “We welcome with open arms all new members who have been duly elected as representatives of the people.”
Late on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to clean up his remarks following a significant public backlash from conservative groups and the media.
“I say to you, a man is a man, a woman is a woman, and a man cannot be a woman,” he said.
But Mr Johnson's initial reluctance to join the fight has worried some conservatives, who are still bitter about Mr Johnson's career as an MP since he became speaker. I'm letting it happen.
“if [Congress] We can't make it clear that a man is a man and a woman is a woman, and we should treat it that way, and expect the rest of this country to treat it that way. “We can't do that,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R). – Texas) told Jenna Ellis on Wednesday that Congress must show the courage to lead the fight against “the injustices we have perpetrated across this country by pressuring young people about gender transition.” spoke.
“We have to actually stand up for the interests of our children and the mental health of the American people and say enough is enough,” he added. “I work with the speakers to think about what needs to be done internally in terms of rules and such. But just answering the questions is enough. When this first came up yesterday, I had a simple question. is this person a man or a woman? And society cannot ignore these obvious differences.”
Mr. Mace is committed to what he considers to be a winning issue for Republicans, speaking constantly to the press and tweeting dozens of times about the issue.
On Wednesday, she introduced the Women's Private Space Protection Act, which would ban biological males from using restrooms designated for women on all federal lands.
“Oh, you thought threatening me would shut me up? No,” she tweeted. “I pulled myself together and introduced new legislation to protect women and girls on all federal lands across the country.”
As Democrats find themselves in a political wilderness after months of upheaval following a historic election loss, Mace and others are particularly concerned as McBride's arrival in Washington brings to the fore issues that most Democrats would shy away from. of Republicans are likely to continue pointing their knives.
Mr Johnson may be forced to participate.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News' Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
