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On Monday, a Republican House member introduced a transphobic bill that appeared to be targeted at an incoming lawmaker, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Delaware), who is set to become the first openly trans member of Congress.
Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-South Carolina) measure aims to restrict transgender people from using restrooms that correspond with their gender. The bill would prohibit members of the House, appointed officers within that chamber and employees from using restrooms that do not correspond with the gender assigned to them at birth.
The measure would require the House sergeant-at-arms, William McFarland, to enforce the rule, though it’s not clear how he would do so.
Mace described transgender women using restrooms that correspond with their gender as “a complete invasion” of privacy, adding that McBride “doesn’t get a say in this.” When asked by reporters if she would speak to McBride directly about the matter, Mace indicated that she would not.
Mace also engaged in transphobic theatrics on social media, referring to McBride on X as “she” in quotation marks, showcasing that she doesn’t accept McBride’s identity as a woman.
McBride responded to Mace’s attacks by issuing a statement on social media.
“Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully,” McBride wrote, adding, “I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.”
In a subsequent post, McBride described Mace’s proposed rule as “a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.”
“We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars,” she said.
McBride’s comments echo statements she made during her campaign for her congressional seat — while recognizing the significance of becoming the first transgender lawmaker in Congress, McBride didn’t seek to make her identity a central part of her appeal to voters.
“I’m not running to make history. I’m running to make historic progress for Delawareans,” McBride said in September.
Mace had originally intended for the rule change to be considered immediately. However, it seems that she is now waiting until the start of the next session of Congress, hoping for it to be included as part of the rules package that is passed every two years, or for it to be passed as a standalone measure.
Several Democratic lawmakers and advocates for transgender rights spoke out against Mace’s proposed rules change.
“The cruelty is the point,” said Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont), a co-chair of the Equality Caucus.
“Is that what we want the sergeant-at-arms to be doing when we had an attack on the freaking Capitol?” Balint added, referring to the January 6, 2021, attack by loyalists to Donald Trump.
“I think we have a lot of problems in America, I don’t think spending time worrying about the restrooms is an order of priority here,” said Rep. Joe Morelle (D-New York). “I think Nancy Mace should focus on other things.”
“This is not just bigotry, this is just plain bullying,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York).
“This is exactly why Democrats should not start conceding on things like trans people in sports,” said journalist and transgender rights advocate Erin Reed. “They are already moving onto the next big thing, fearmongering over a trans congresswoman in a bathroom.”
“It’s not going to stop with bathrooms,” predicted Alejandra Caraballo, Harvard instructor and trans rights advocate. “The Republicans are going to try and dictate what gendered honorifics Sarah McBride can use on the floor to misgender her along with enforcing a gendered dress code to force her to wear men’s clothes on the floor.”
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