Republicans move to ban first trans congresswoman from using female bathrooms

Nancy Mace introduced a resolution to amend the US House of Representatives rules to prevent Sarah McBride from using women-only spaces

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A House Republican has moved to ban the first transgender congresswoman from using female bathrooms in the US Capitol.
Nancy Mace, a Republican South Carolina congresswoman, has introduced a resolution to amend the rules of the US House of Representatives to prevent Sarah McBride from accessing women-only spaces.
Ms McBride, a Democrat Delaware state senator, made history two weeks ago by becoming the first transgender person to be elected to Congress.
The two-page resolution, which covers bathrooms in the Capitol and House offices, prohibits House members and staffers from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex”.
It adds that allowing biological males into single-sex facilities “jeopardises the safety and dignity of members, officers, and employees of the House who are female”.
Ms Mace told reporters: “Sarah McBride doesn’t get a say in this. If you’re a biological man, you shouldn’t be in women’s restrooms.”
She added that the lawmaker “does not belong in women’s spaces, women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, period, full stop.”
Ms Mace had intended to force a vote on the resolution this week but is instead in talks with House GOP leadership about how to move forward, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has promised Ms Mace that he will prohibit biological men from entering female-only spaces in the Capitol next year by adding a provision to the House Rules, PunchBowl reported.
According to Politico, the new House rules are due to be voted on in early January. The proposal was met with a backlash from Democrats, who accused Ms Mace of “bigotry” and “bullying”.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York congresswoman, told Axios: “This is not just bigotry, this is just plain bullying.”
Becca Balint, the representative for Vermont, expressed outrage at the proposal, telling the outlet: “The cruelty is the point.”
Ms McBride, who is set to be sworn in in two months, responded by calling Ms Mace an extremist.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
Ms McBride eased to victory in the race for Delaware’s lone senate seat, running on a ticket that focused on her work pushing for paid medical leave and raising the minimum wage rather than transgender rights.
“I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference for my state and this country,” she said after her victory was announced.
Defending her stance, Ms Mace told CNN: “This is a biological man trying to force himself into women’s spaces, and I’m not going to tolerate it.”
“I’m the first woman to graduate from the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. If some guy in a skirt came by and said, ‘No, that’s my achievement.’ I’m going to be there and standing in the way and saying, ‘Hell no.’ I’m not going to allow men to erase women or women’s rights.”
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