South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace says the resolution aims to protect women’s rights. Democratic Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, the first out trans person elected to Congress, has slammed it as a distraction.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is defending a measure she recently introduced that would ban transgender women from women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol.
It is unclear if the effort will get a vote or if rules in the Capitol will be changed, but the move comes just two weeks after Democrat Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mace characterized this specific measure as an attempt to protect women’s rights.
«I know how vulnerable women and girls are in private spaces», she said. «So I’m absolutely, 100 percent, going to stand in the way of any man who wants to be in a women’s restroom, in our locker rooms, in our changing rooms, I will be there fighting you every step of the way.»
But when asked if McBride’s arrival was the catalyst, Mace was clear.
«Yes and absolutely and then some», she said.
Republicans have increasingly amplified anti-trans messaging in recent years and it’s morphed into a common political talking point. Now, the conversation is playing out within the halls of Congress.
McBride responded to the legislation in a Monday night post on X.
«We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars», McBride wrote. «Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible and that’s what I’m focused on.»
McBride, who won Delaware’s lone house seat earlier this month, said in her victory speech that she «ran not to make history but to make a difference.
