Sarah McBride, who is the first openly transgender person to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, called out a proposal by South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace 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 McBride as the first openly transgender member of Congress.
If enacted, the measure 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.”
Mace also took to X to criticize those who've condemned her resolution, writing:
"The only reason anyone is offended by this resolution—let us gently hold your hand as we say this—is because they’re a radical left-wing extremist who supports stripping biological women of their privacy rights."
You can see her post below.
McBride responded to the attacks with a post of her own calling out their performative nature:
"Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness."
"This is 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."
"Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible and that’s what I’m focused on."
You can see her post below.
Many concurred—and criticized Mace too.
Fellow Democrats also stepped up.
The unrepentant Mace later told CNN that McBride is "a biological man trying to force himself into women’s spaces, and I’m not going to tolerate it." Even though, as transgender activist Charlotte Clymer made clear, "in the four years that Rep. Nancy Mace has been in Congress, she's known that trans women use women's restrooms in federal buildings in D.C. and it's never been an issue for her."
Clymer added that the matter was a non-issue for Mace until the first transgender woman was elected to Congress, saying that the proposal is an "incredibly cynical and cruel attempt on the part of Congresswoman Mace to manufacture outrage and divide people over something that hasn't been a problem."
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