Transgender women will not be allowed to employ women’s restrooms in parts of the U.S. Capitol complicated, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday, after some House Republicans targeted the first openly transgender person to win a congressional election .
The three-sentence Johnson Declaration stated that public single-sex facilities could only be used by “persons of that biological sex.” There was no mention of how the policy would be enforced.
“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House office buildings – such as restrooms, locker rooms and locker rooms – are reserved for people of that biological sex,” said Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana.
“It is important to note that each member office has its own private restroom and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol. Women deserve women-only spaces,” he said, emphasizing his objections to identifying trans women based on their gender identity.
There was no immediate reaction from most House Democrats, including leadership, but Rep. Mark Pocan questioned how the order would be monitored.
“Will the Sergeant at Arms station officers in restrooms?” asked Pocan, a Democrat from Wisconsin, in a statement to States Newsroom. “Is everyone who works at the Capitol required to carry their birth certificate or undergo genetic testing? This policy will protect no one – but it will open the door to rampant abuse, harassment and discrimination at the Capitol.”
Delaware legislator
The order is in response to the election this month of Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware, who will become the first openly transgender member of Congress.
When Congress returned to Washington this week, a vocally portion The House Republican Conference leader rejected McBride’s gender identity and called on Johnson to restrict her employ of the bathroom.
Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced a resolution Monday with language similar to Johnson’s order. She made it clear social media Posts And Interviews she was McBride in his sights.
“This is a person who is threatening to invade women’s privacy,” Mace said on Fox News Tuesday night. “I am a survivor of rape, sexual violence and abuse and know how vulnerable women are in places where we feel we have a right to privacy.”
While opponents of trans rights often argue that trans women’s access to women’s restrooms endangers cis women, there is no evidence that such access increases the incidence of sexual assault.
A 2019 Harvard University Denying trans teens access to restrooms that match their gender identity increases the risk of transgender sexual assault, a study found.
McBride disagrees but will comply
In a statement Wednesday, McBride said she would comply with the order even if she disagreed with it.
The statement continued McBride’s message on the issue, saying it reflected a misplaced focus by House Republicans on wedge issues that have no meaningful impact on people’s lives.
“I’m not here to argue about bathrooms. I am here to fight for Delawareans and reduce costs for families,” she wrote. “This attempt to distract from the real problems facing this country has not distracted me in recent days.”
As the tumult at the Capitol drew attention on Tuesday, Democrats in the House of Representatives voted allegedly with input from McBride, it also presented as a distraction.
In tiny X thread On Monday, McBride called the GOP efforts “a blatant distraction from the fact that they have no real solutions to Americans’ problems” and said she would remain focused on “making the American dream more affordable and accessible.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said in brief comments at a news conference Tuesday that Republicans were trying to “bully” McBride.
Remembrance Day
In a statement, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who leads the advocacy group LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, called Johnson’s order and Mace’s resolution “aggressive and transphobic politics at the Capitol” and noted that Wednesday is Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“Announcing ill-conceived anti-trans policies, not least on Transgender Day of Remembrance, not only creates more distraction and division, but is also a damaging ploy with real consequences,” she said. “This policy will harm many dedicated employees who work at the Capitol and is short-sighted and dangerous.”
Some Democrats released messages of support for Transgender Day of Remembrance that alluded to discrimination in the halls of Congress.
In a thread opposing a separate bill, the Equality Caucus’s X account said Republicans were “focused on attacking the queer community.”
“Your obsession with performative stunts instead of actual solutions hurts Americans and benefits no one,” one said post read.
Last updated on November 20, 2024 at 4:09 p.m
