House Speaker Mike Johnson declared Wednesday that women's facilities in the Capitol are exclusively for biological women. Congress is poised to swear in its first openly transgender lawmaker.
“All single-sex facilities, including restrooms, locker rooms, and locker rooms in the Capitol and the House Office Building, are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” Johnson (R-Louisiana) said in a statement. ” he said.
“It is important to note that each member's office has its own private toilet, and unisex toilets are available throughout Parliament House,” he added. “Women should be given their own space.”
“We're not against anyone, we're pro-women,” he later told reporters. “Like any policy in the House, it's enforceable.” “There is,” he claimed.
The chairman's announcement comes in the wake of controversy among House Republicans over Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Delaware), who is transgender and represents an at-large district in the First State.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) has publicly and privately called for women's facilities at the Capitol to be reserved exclusively for biological women.
She has the support of several Republican women, including far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
Ms. Green even threatened to fight Ms. McBride if she encountered her at the women's facility.
“He's a man. Biologically a man. So he's not allowed to use our women's restrooms, women's gyms, locker rooms, women-only spaces,” Green said. told reporters this week. “He has a lot of places he can go.”
McBride, 34, was born male and identifies as female. The incoming congressman previously slammed Republican efforts to reserve women's restrooms for biological women.
“This is a blatant attempt by far-right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to the problems facing the American people. Instead, the focus should be on lowering the costs of housing, health care, and child care,” McBride wrote. on X.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) this week accused Republicans of making a fuss about transgender bathroom issues.
“This is the lesson you learned from the November election… that you want to bully members of Congress?” Jeffries groaned during a news conference Tuesday.
Mr. Mace drafted two resolutions to protect women's facilities. One resolution is on Capitol Hill, and the other, announced Wednesday, applies to federal agencies.
“Oh, you thought you could intimidate me into silence? No, I took the plunge and introduced a new bill to protect women and girls on every federal land in the country,” she declared. with X Wednesday.
The newspaper has reached out to McBride for comment.
