Sarah McBride finds Nancy Mace’s bathroom bill a distraction

Delaware Sen. Sarah McBride, elected this month as the first openly transgender member of Congress, called U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace’s efforts to keep her away from women’s facilities at the Capitol a distraction.

Mace (R., SC) introduced: Bill On Monday, it would bar lawmakers, officers and House staff from using “same-sex facilities,” such as restrooms and gym locker rooms, “other than those consistent with their biological sex.”

Mace, 46, doesn’t shy away from the fact that the bill is aimed directly at McBride, 34, Democrat. When asked the reporter directly, if Mace introduced the bill because of McBride’s arrival in Congress, she replied: “That and more.” Mace ill-mannered McBride and stated that the recent legislator “has nothing to say” and “does not belong in the women’s space.”

» READ MORE: Delaware Senator Sarah McBride wins a seat in the US House of Representatives, becoming the first openly transgender member of Congress

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also repeatedly confused McBride during the discussion bill with a reporter and insisted that she was not a woman and should not be allowed to apply women’s spaces. She said transgender women should be banned from using the women’s bathroom in any government-funded facility.

But McBride doesn’t fall for the bait.

In a post on X, McBride wrote that Americans work with people “who have different paths in life than their own and engage with them with respect” every day, and she hopes other lawmakers “will show the same kindness “.

“This is a blatant attempt by far-right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to the problems Americans face,” McBride added. “We should be focusing on lowering the costs of housing, health care and child care, not starting culture wars. The people of Delaware sent me here to make the American Dream more affordable and accessible, and that is my focus.

In June, as President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a platform opposing transgender rights, McBride claimed that the MAGA movement’s “obsession with transgender people” was part of a “manufactured culture war” and a distraction from the issues Trump was focusing on there are no solutions Do.

“When you can respect someone as a really hard-working legislator, it’s hard not to see them as a person; it’s hard not to see other people like them as human,” McBride said in an interview.

» READ MORE: Sarah McBride was poised to become the first transgender member of Congress

Trump and his surrogates have made attacks on transgender people a centerpiece of their campaign, even though Trump has publicly acknowledged that the issue is not a priority for his supporters.

Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican commentator, he said on CNN that Mace could bring forward this bill, in part to prove his allegiance to the ideology of Trump and his allies.

“She has clashed with Republicans in the past for her anti-Trump stance,” Soltis said of Mace. “She’s come a long way on that front, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was part of saying, ‘Look at me, I’m a real conservative, I’m taking this action.'”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Tuesday morning after the weekly meeting of the House Republican conference that the House would find a solution and that he would be able to build a “consensus” around Mace’s efforts, The case was reported by the Washington Post.

Johnson said House Republicans welcome “all members with open arms” and that the House will “address each individual’s needs,” the report said.

“I believe this is a mandate that we treat all people with dignity and respect,” he said. “I’m not going to get into stupid discussions about this.”

But in clarifying remarks published by The Post, Johnson appeared to invalidate McBride’s gender identity while emphasizing the need for respect.

“Let me be clear: a man is a man and a woman is a woman, and a man cannot become a woman,” Johnson said. “But I also believe that we treat everyone with dignity so that we can do and believe all of these things at the same time.”

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said through spokeswoman Delphine Luneau that while Johnson says he will treat every lawmaker with dignity, “actions speak louder than words.”

“Delaware voters sent Sarah McBride to represent them in Congress, and the House has an obligation to treat her with humanity and decency,” Luneau said. “The proposed House rule targeting her and other transgender officials and staff must be rejected, and the nation’s lawmakers must focus on doing their jobs to deliver results for the voters they represent.”

House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said focusing on “where one of the 435” members will apply the restroom was not a “great start” for the recent Republican majority in the House, according to ” The Post”.

McBride’s team said her reaction to Johnson’s comments was the same as her social media post in response to the bill.

Mace said she spoke with Johnson about the bill on Monday and that he would consider including it in the House rules for the next session. If he doesn’t, he plans to file a preference resolution next year that would force a vote within 48 hours of its introduction, the Post reports.