Speaking to reporters, New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace, for proposing a bill that would prohibit transgender women from using women's bathroom facilities at the U.S. Capitol.
Mace introduced the resolution shortly after Delaware elected Democrat Sarah McBride as the first openly transgender member of Congress.
The bill would bar members of Congress, as well as congressional officers and employees, from using single-sex facilities that do not align with their biological sex. The proposal appears to target McBride, who secured Delaware's lone seat in the House.
When asked about the proposal by reporters on Monday, Mace stated she wasn’t concerned about how her future colleague might feel about the measure. She said "Sarah McBride doesn’t get a say in this" because "If you’re a biological man, you shouldn’t be in women’s restrooms.”
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would impose the policy on the Capitol and House office buildings.
“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” Johnson said. “It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”
But Ocasio-Cortez pointed out that the policy—despite what Mace or her GOP backers might say—is not about protecting people:
"What Nancy Mace and Speaker [Mike] Johnson are doing is endangering all women and girls because if you ask them, 'What is your plan to enforce this?' they won't come up with an answer. What it inevitably results in is that women and girls who are primed for assault [are going to have people checking] their private parts in suspecting who is trans and who is cis and who's doing what."
"The idea that Nancy Mace wants girls and women to drop trou in front of an investigator? Who would that be because she wants to suspect and point fingers at who she thinks is trans is disgusting. It's disgusting. Frankly, what it does is allow all these Republicans to go around and bully anyone who's not wearing a skirt because they think she might not look 'woman' enough."
"People have a right to express themselves, to dress how they want, and to be who they are, and if a woman doesn't look 'woman' enough to Republicans, they want to inspect her genitals to use a bathroom? It's disgusting and everybody, no matter how you may feel about this issue, should reject it completely."
"What are they doing? They''re doing this so Nancy Mace can make a buck and send a text and fundraise off an email. They're not doing this to protect people. They're endangerijng women, they're endangering girls of all kinds and everybody should reject it. It's gross."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Many concurred.
McBride issued a statement shortly afterward saying she would comply with the rules:
“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms, I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them. This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days.”
“Serving in the 119th Congress will be the honor of a lifetime, and I continue to look forward to getting to know my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Each of us were sent here because voters saw in us something that they value."
"I have loved seeing those qualities in the future colleagues that I’ve met and I look forward to seeing those qualities in every member come January. I hope all of my colleagues will seek to do the same with me.”
Wisconsin Democratic Representative Mark Pocan pushed back, however, saying Johnson's "holier-than-thou decree to ban transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their identity is a cruel and unnecessary rule that puts countless staff, interns, and visitors to the United States Capitol at risk."
